Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On
by Captain Alaska
Summary: *Warning Spoilers Ahead* A what if scenario. What if there was a third main band in the film? A third band that was underestimated by both the Dazzlings and the Rainbooms? A third band that had no clue what was really going on, yet at the same time, had a capable chance of winning? A third band that holds no Equestrian magic, but wields a great power: The Power of Rock 'N Roll.
1. Chapter 1: Get Your Rock On

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

_First off: Merry Christmas fanfiction! _

_Author Note: Thanks to Netflix, I recently watched Rainbow Rocks. While I did like it better than the first EG movie, I felt that it didn't have much ROCK in it considering it's called 'Rainbow Rocks.' So, I wanted to write my own alternate version of Rainbow Rocks with an all new character with his own band. Basically, it's a 'What-if' scenario where there is a third band that is awaiting its chance in the shadows and is completely underestimated by both the Dazzlings and the Rainbooms. The ending will be slightly different than the one we got. _

_Anyways, I hope you guys like my what if scenario/alternate version to Rainbow Rocks. _

**_Casey Knight belongs to me. If you wish to use him, please ask permission first._**

* * *

**(Canterlot High. 3rd Person POV)**

The final bell of the day had rung and the hallways of Canterlot High School were flooded with the student body, eager to leave school and relax after a long day. A creme yellow colored girl with pink hair carried several textbooks and a binder with her through the hallway. Turning the dial on her locker, the girl stuffed the textbooks and binder onto the shelf of her locker and grabbed her backpack. "Hello my little friends, are you doing alright?" A timid voice came from the girl's mouth. She reached into her pocket and produced some Nutter Butter bites and fed them to a rabbit, a squirrel and a chipmunk.

The girl was so preoccupied with feeding her little friends that she didn't notice a tall figure looming behind her. The figure wrapped its arms around her torso, forcing a shriek to emit from the girl. "Sorry Fluttershy," a British boy's voice apologized as Fluttershy clutched her chest, "how're your animals doing?" the boy asked and helped her back onto her feet.

"Th-they're doing fine Casey," Fluttershy replied and gathered herself back up. Casey picked up the little rabbit and lightly scratched its head, forcing its ears to droop low and its foot to start kicking. "You're still one of the few people that Angel actually likes," Fluttershy giggled.

"Well, he's nothing like your first Angel bunny," Casey scratched under the rabbit's chin, "but at least I've made new friends beyond you and your friends," Casey replied and set the bunny back into Fluttershy's arms. "I'm glad that your other friends took me in, sort of. I don't think Rainbow likes me that much to be honest," Casey admitted as he looked down the hallway to see the cyan girl in question as she mingled with other girls.

"Oh, she just likes to be protective of me. You know she took me under her wing in Junior High and she doesn't want anything bad to happen to me," Fluttershy shut her locker door and started to walk down the hallway, wading through the sea of other students.

"I understand that, but you know I have no romantic interests in you Fluttershy, you're just my best friend that's a girl," Casey grinned and adjusted the strap of his backpack.

"And don't you forget it buster," another voice broke through the the void. Casey and Fluttershy turned around to see a milk colored girl with electric purple sunglasses and multi-colored blue hair.

"Of course not babe," Casey replied and quickly pecked Vinyl Scratch on the lips.

"Ah, I'm just teasing Casey, you know I'm not the jealous type," Vinyl lightly punched her boyfriend on the shoulder. The british boy rubbed his shoulder and rolled his eyes playfully as he walked down the hallway with his best friend and girlfriend. Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life with Principal Celestia's voice coming over.

"Attention Students, Vice Principal Luna and myself have to decided to host a musical showcase, any band that wants to join, can. All you have to do is sign up at the office by Friday at 3:00 and have your own poster with your band name or logo, we hope to hear some of the best musical talents join in," the intercom shut off. The trio were enjoying the current silence of the hallway, until it erupted with enthusiasm and excitement.

"Yo Snips, we should totally do our rap thing!" Snails shook his body excitedly.

"Lyra, do you want to tear up the piano like old times?" Bon Bon questioned.

"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps took out his violin and held it up like a trophy. Fluttershy, Vinyl and Casey all shook their heads at the ruckus that had blown up thanks to the principal and vice principal.

"You and Vinyl should sign up Casey!" Fluttershy thought up as the chaos in the halls resumed. The couple looked at each other and snickered at the meek girl's suggestion. Fluttershy's shoulders drooped, confused as to why her friends were snickering.

"We'd like to Fluttershy," Vinyl held Fluttershy's shoulder, "but we'd like to have at least a full band. I'm only used for the keyboard and the backbeat, and Casey here is the singer and lead guitarist," she explained.

"Yeah, we still need a bassist and someone or the drum kit, possibly a second guitarist like Def Leppard" Casey added, "and we don't see three other students lining up to join our "band" that we don't even have a name for," he concluded as they rounded a corner and bumped into Fluttershy's other friends.

"Fluttershy, there you are!" Rainbow exclaimed and grabbed her wrist, "come on, we gotta sign up and start practicing for the Showcase!" the teenager yanked Fluttershy away. "The Rainbooms are gonna rock the school!" Casey couldn't contain himself and started laughing at Rainbow's enthusiasm.

"What's so funny there partner?" Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Did somebody make a joke? I missed it, tell it again!" Pinkie Pie begged.

"Please, you guys can't rock if all you play is Pop music," Casey chuckled.

"Sorry girls, but I gotta agree with him," Vinyl apologized, "pop music isn't the same as rock and roll." Rainbow relinquished Fluttershy's wrist and glared down at Vinyl with her hands on her hips.

"Says the girl who likes to play dub step music," she pointed out.

"Yeah so? I can be DJ-Pon3 whenever I want to; I'm Vinyl when I'm rocking out with Casey," Vinyl explained to Rainbow.

"Now darlings, we don't have to lower ourselves to petty insults, pop music and, ugh, rock and roll are both very excellent genres of music, can't we get along?" Rarity questioned, attempting to ease the little tension that began to brew.

"Pop is okay, but Rock and Roll is the greatest music genre ever made," Casey replied.

"Yeah right Knight," Rainbow called Casey by his last night, "you and your girlfriend don't even have a real band, and even if you did, the Rainbooms would totally wipe the floor with your butts," Rainbow smugly proclaimed.

"Well, you can think that, but good luck to ya in the showcase Rainbooms, and rock that tambourine Fluttershy!" Casey whisked Vinyl away to leave the school. Rainbow growled at Casey and Vinyl as they left and turned around to face her friends.

"Fluttershy, why do you even hang out with that guy? He's a total music know-it-all," Rainbow complained.

"Oh, he just likes classic rock Rainbow," Fluttershy explained, "but he's a nice guy once you really get to know him. You might like him, he is a lot like you," Fluttershy added.

"Whatever, rock is a dying breed, pop is the new king of music," Rainbow replied and slipped her backpack over her shoulder. "Meet me at my house at 5:00, we need to start practicing, and I'll sign us up, Rarity, you start thinking of poster ideas," the athletic girl ordered her friends as she exited the school.

"So, is anyone going to tell me the joke, I still didn't get it," Pinkie Pie blurted out.

* * *

**(With Casey and Vinyl)**

The two hadn't left the school just yet. Casey had sat down on a concrete bench outside the courtyard of the school while Vinyl slid on one headphone cup over her left ear so she could hear her boyfriend. "Don't worry Vinyl, they didn't get to me," Casey chewed on his eraser.

"Oh I know Casey, but don't you wanna sign up? With my backbeat, your singing and awesome guitar solos, I think we could rock the showcase," Vinyl played with his ear. Casey smirked and continued to doodle on his journal page, coming up with not only a band logo, but a name as well.

"I wouldn't mind it, but I'd rather have a full band, no offense to you babe," Casey reassured Vinyl.

"Eh, I get what you're sayin' Casey, but where are we gonna find two or three other people who'll want to join a band with no name?" The DJ replied and switched songs on her iPhone. Casey gasped and started to scribble something down on one of his doodles and grinned like the Joker.

"I don't know about other members, but I think I found us a name Vinyl," Casey shoved his notebook into Viny's face.

"That's rad Casey, but where'd you come up with it?" Vinyl handed the notebook back to her boyfriend where he shoved it into his backpack. Before he answered, he gathered up the balled up pieces of paper that fell out of his backpack and threw them into the nearby rubbish bin.

"It was the original name for Def Leppard's fourth album before calling it Hysteria," Casey replied and swung his backpack around his shoulder. "Wanna grab a coffee at Starbucks real quick?" He offered.

"Nah, I'm gonna go home and work on my keyboarding," Vinyl responded and kissed Casey on the lips. "See ya around Loverboy, text me later tonight," Vinyl took off her sunglasses and winked at Casey with her magenta eyes. She put her headphones on completely and turned up the volume to drown out the street traffic.

"See ya around babe," the Brit replied and turned heels to make way for the local Starbucks. While walking, Casey couldn't help but think of his dream to be one of the greatest rock stars in the world with his girlfriend. Def Leppard had always been his favorite band, being a British to boot, and had always been an inspiration of never giving up, no matter what obstacle got in their way. However, he did have an obstacle standing in his way. "Who else can we recruit for our band?" He asked himself and ran a hand through his jet black hair.

The cool evening air felt like heaven to him as a slight breeze bustled through the air. Rounding a street corner, Casey kept thinking of which songs they could play for the showcase, having written numerous hard rock to metal songs, choosing only three, maybe four at the max, wouldn't be an easy feat. But, the guitarist shoved those thoughts back into his mind as he came upon the location he was looking for. Once he got closer to the coffee shop however, the distinct sound of three familiar voices penetrated the airwaves.

"Ah can't believe our sisters are too busy ta give us pointers on music," a southern accented voice complained. Casey turned around to see the younger sisters of Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity slowly walking down the street.

"Yeah, I know they're a full time band now, but they could at least help us get better, remember how bad our first music video did on WeToob?" Sweetie Belle replied. A streetlight above Casey's head turned on immediately, just at the same time he came up with an idea.

"We can rock pretty good, we just could use a little direction. My drumming is awesome, your bass playing is getting there Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo pointed out, "and your guitar playing is almost as good as Rainbow Dash's Applebloom," the little orange girl exclaimed.

"We could try and sign up fer the Musical Showcase, I mean we aren't _that_ bad, are we?" Applebloom replied, "Ah think we could do okay."

"But we need a lead singer too, I won't be afraid to admit none of us could multi-task like that," Scootaloo added. Casey smiled and approached the trio, his idea finally coming to fruition.

"Hey girls, can I get you all a cup of hot chocolate or something?" Casey questioned. The trio turned their heads to see the British guitarist heading their way.

"Oh hey Casey, uh sure, we could go for some hot chocolate," Sweetie Belle replied. Casey held the door open for the three as they all entered the coffee shop and ordered their drinks. After finding a table, Casey laid down his idea for the three.

"Now look, I know we're somewhat good friends right?" He sipped his coffee.

"Yeah I guess. You help us with homework sometimes and you did get Diamond Tiara to stop harassing us," Scootaloo ate some whipped cream off her cocoa with a spoon.

"Right, so I have a proposition for you, how would you girls like to join Vinyl Scratch and myself in our band for the musical showcase?" Casey set down his coffee cup. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's spoons clattered to the table in shock.

"You want us to join you and Vinyl? Why?" Sweetie Belle questioned. Casey added some sugar to his coffee quickly before responding.

"Well, I have the guitar and lead vocals locked up, and Vinyl has the keyboard; we just need a bassist, a drummer and a second guitarist for our songs," Casey explained. "And I heard your predicament outside, I'm willing to help you guys in the right direction if you really want to start a music career, or if you just want to do this for fun."

"Ah don't know Casey, we did wanna try this ourselves," Applebloom wiped some whipped cream off the table.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, it was just an idea," Casey downed some more of his coffee. "And it's not because I want to show off or beat your sister's band, I just want to have fun playing music, like all Rock 'N Roll bands of the past."

"Hold on Applebloom, this may be a good chance to show our sisters we do have what it takes to be good rock stars," Scootaloo excitedly said.

"Right, and who knows, we may be better than them!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Hold on there girls, we don't want to show off to anybody, we just want rock out," Casey assured them. The three girls huddled together and hid their mounts so Casey couldn't hear what they were saying. Casey just sipped his coffee and drummed his fingers on the table while the girls talked things over.

"Okay Casey, we'll do it," Scootaloo said after breaking the huddle with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

"Awesome! Show up at Vinyl's after school tomorrow, she has all the instruments you'll need, do you think you can learn half a dozen songs by Friday?" Casey questioned and set his now empty coffee cup down.

"You got it, but keep this a secret from Fluttershy, she'll tell our sisters and the surprise'll be ruined," Applebloom requested.

"Alright, so I'll see you three tomorrow at Vinyl's?" Casey asked and tossed his cup into the garbage.

"Yep, see ya later Casey!" Scootaloo called as Casey held the door open again. "Oh, excuse us," Scootaloo added when three teenage girls entered the coffee shop. Casey shut the door as the three girls were inside and then began his trek home.

"Geez Aadagio, are we really going to drink at this coffee shop again? The one on fifth street plays music!" One of the girls said.

"Will you stop complaining for five seconds Aria? We have work to do," the apparent pack leader said and all three began to softly chant.

* * *

**(Cut to Opening Credits.)**

A song started up as the screen faded to black. Suddenly, a rainbow of colors showered the screen as silhouettes of the characters from the previous film showed up on the background of colors.

_[The Rainbooms]_  
_We used to fight with each other_  
_(Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)_  
_That was before we discovered_  
_(Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)_  
_That when your friendship is real_  
_(Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)_

_Yeah, you just say what you feel_  
_And the music, yeah, the music_  
_Gets us to the top_  
_As we learn how the rainbow..._  
_Rainbow Rocks!_

A giant logo with the words "Rainbow Rocks" appeared as the beat from the drums pulsated many colors in the background. Suddenly, the words 'Long Live Rock 'N Roll' smashed the logo for Rainbow Rocks.

_[Applejack]_  
_You can pick up the bass_

**Starring: Tara Strong as Twilight Sparkle**

_[The Rainbooms]_  
_(Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)_

_[Rainbow Dash]_  
_And you can play the guitar_

**Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash and Applejack**

_[The Rainbooms]_  
_(Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)_

_[Pinkie Pie]_  
_You can bang on the drums_

**Andrea Libman as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy**

_[The Rainbooms]_  
_(Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh)_

_[Twilight Sparkle]_  
_Or you can sing like a star_

**Tabitha St. Germain as Rarity**

_[The Rainbooms]_  
_And the music, yeah, the music_  
_Gets us to the top_

**Cathy Weseluck as Spike**

_As we learn how the rainbow..._  
_Rainbow Rocks!_

**Rebecca Shoichet as Sunset Shimmer**

_As we learn how the rainbow..._  
_Rainbow Rocks!_

**Maryke Hendrikse as Sonata Dusk**

**Diana Kaarina as Ara Blaze**

**Kazume Evans as Adagio Dazzle**

The screen flashed by all the different members of both The Rainbooms and the Dazzlings when suddenly, the music ceased and the screen shattered to reveal a third band waiting in the shadows. A tall male figure stood at the front of the group of four females, a portable microphone strapped to his head and a guitar held in his hands. The music restarted, but instead was playing the guitar riff from 'Pour Some Sugar on Me.'

_Pour some sugar on me_

**Guest Starring: Rick Savage as Casey Knight** The camera panned around to the girl near the back with a keyboard standing in front of her.

_Ooh, in the name of love_

**Ann Wilson as Vinyl Scratch** The camera panned around again, this time to show the silhouette of the drummer.

_Pour some sugar on me_

**Madeleine Peters as Scootaloo **The camera then switched to show the second guitarist standing next to the lead singer

_C'mon, fire me up_

**Michelle Creber as Applebloom **The camera panned around a final time to show the bassist for the band.

_Pour your sugar on me_

**Claire Corlett as Sweetie Belle**

_Oh, I can't get enough_

The guitar riff ended just as The Rainbooms and Dazzlings reappeared next to the mysterious third band and the screen faded to black again.

**End Chapter 1**

* * *

_So, what do you guys think? Do you like my alternate version? Please review and tell me, just no flames. Constructive criticism is welcome._

_I do not own, Rainbow Rocks or Pour Some sugar on me_

**Explanations: **

**1) Rick Savage is the bass player for Def Leppard**

**2) Ann Wilson is the lead singer of Heart**


	2. Chapter 2: All Signed Up

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 2: All Signed Up**

_HAPPY FINAL DAY OF 2014!_

_I'm really glad that so far there's been a positive reception to this story. I know there are some cases where people LOATHE alternate versions of stories, but I am really going to try my best at making my version as alternate as possible yet stay within the same universe as the actual film. And I will have to admit after watching the movie a second time through, the Rainbooms do sing a rock song, but it's only one. 'Awesome as I wanna Be' is a pretty good attempt at rock instead of pop rock, but I digress. _

_Now, I want to let you guys know that I won't reveal the name of Casey, Vinyl, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's band until the auditions which will happen in Chapter 3, but this chapter is still important to the story. Sorry for rambling, but let's get this show on the road!_

* * *

**(Casey's House. Later that night. 3rd Person)**

The British guitarist excitedly shut the door to his home as he raced upstairs to his room, not even bothering to say hello to his parents. The two elderly Knights gave each other a weird look before shrugging it off when they heard Casey's sound system begin to play music. His father smirked and turned up the volume on the soccer channel to drown out the earthquake like Rock 'N Roll. In his room, Casey threw his backpack into a corner and jumped onto his bed, holding his head with his hands. On his ceiling was a huge poster for Def Leppard from Casey's native homeland of England. And although he knew it was a stereotype, Casey had a huge Union Jack flag directly on the wall above his headboard. Reaching into his pocket, Casey produced his Samsung Galaxy S5 and dialed up none other than his girlfriend, Vinyl. The phone rang three times before Casey heard the all to familiar sound of dub step in the background.

_"DJ-PON3," _was all Vinyl said when she answered.

"Hey Vinyl, you're never gonna believe it," Casey replied, not caring that she didn't notice it was him at first. He had an understanding that her business as a DJ came first, but they still cared for each other. The dub step music in the background ceased.

_"Oh Casey, what's up babe?"_ Vinyl said with a little more enthusiasm. Now it was Casey's turn to pause his music. He clicked the pause button on his remote and tossed it onto his nightstand.

"Jets, helicopters, the sky," Casey replied in a smart ass tone. Silence met his ears as Vinyl contemplated what he had said.

_"Come on Casey, be serious,"_ Vinyl scolded, _"I'm trying to tune up my keyboard."_ Casey rolled his eyes and smirked. His girlfriend loved music just about as much as he did, despite the fact their music genres were completely different.

"Alright alright, don't get your headphones in a tangle Vinyl," Casey apologized, "I got three other people to join us; we have a full band now!" he exclaimed happily. From his phone, Casey heard Vinyl fist pump something in her room.

_"Sweet! Who joined up Casey? Please for the love of God tell me it wasn't Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon,"_ she begged.

"Ha, no way Vinyl. On the way to Starbucks, I ran into Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom. They were all talking about signing up for the showcase, but their sisters were too busy to help give them extra pointers," Casey explained. Then, Casey heard the sound of chewing on Vinyl's end of the phone conversation.

_"Awesome, I've always liked them, and at least you know them enough from helping them with homework,"_ Vinyl added and popped a bubble from her gum. _"Do you think they'll be good enough to play their parts?"_ She added.

"Vinyl, of course I do. I've seen their WeToob video, and they've got potential, they just need a push in the right direction, you know?" Casey asked and picked up a baseball and began to toss it up into the air and catch it repeatedly. Vinyl popped another bubble with her gum before responding.

_"Sounds great Casey, but what instruments do they play?" _Vinyl questioned.

"From what they told me, Sweetie Belle is on bass, which is surprising actually considering who her sister is," Casey joked. Vinyl laughed in response. "And Scootaloo says she's on the drum kit, that makes sense to me, she can be pretty crazy sometimes, and Applebloom is a guitarist, and I like bands with two guitarists; luckily our songs require two guitarists," Casey replied.

_"Sweet, we got ourselves a band Casey; do you think they can learn at least our audition song by Friday afternoon?"_

"It might be a little intense for them, but I have faith in them. And I told them to meet us at your house tomorrow afternoon, is that okay?"

_"Sure thing Casey, I got the instruments they need if they can't bring theirs, or they need new ones,"_ Vinyl replied.

"I think we're gonna be good to go Vinyl, see ya tomorrow, love ya," Casey said.

_"Love ya too Casey, rock on,"_ Vinyl hung up. Casey clicked off his phone and set it down on his bed. As if it had a mind of its own, Casey's hand reached over, grabbed his stereo remote and flicked it back on to Guns N' Roses' _Welcome to the Jungle._

"Ah, this is God's music," Casey shut his eyes to soak in the Rock 'N Roll. Unfortunately, his moment with his favorite type of music was interrupted by a knock on his door. "Hang on a tick," Casey grumbled and paused the music once again.

"Casey, supper is ready," his mom opened the door. Casey got up from his bed, headed over to the door and pecked his mom on the cheek.

"Thanks mum, just let me wash up first," he said.

* * *

**(At Applejack's House. 3rd Person)**

"So Applebloom, are you, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gonna sign up as the Crusaders fer the showcase?" Applejack questioned as she cut up some vegetables for dinner. Applebloom, whom was finishing up some math homework, looked up from her textbook and placed her eraser end of her pencil into her mouth. She _really_ wanted to tell her big sister that she was joining forces with her friends, Vinyl Scratch and Casey Knight for the showcase. But they all agreed to keep it a secret.

"Naw," was the only thing Applebloom replied. Applejack hit a carrot so hard that the stem was shot out the window and made contact with Big Macintosh's head.

"OW! HEY!" He yelled and chucked the stem back threw the window into the garbage can.

"Whaddya mean Applebloom? You 'N thu Crusaders love playin' music; Ah thought you'd be excited fer thu showcase," Applejack countered.

"Well, we just decided ta keep on practicin' before performin' again after our disastrous WeToob video," Applebloom replied and closed up her math textbook. Big Mac then entered the dining room, rubbing his head from the surprise injury.

"Aw come on, yer video wasn't that bad, right Big Mac?" Applejack asked for support for her little sis.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied and went to the bathroom to scrub up before supper. AJ rolled her emerald eyes and looked back to Applebloom stuffing her textbook into her backpack.

"Is this because Ah've been too busy with thu Rainbooms ta help ya with yer music?" Applejack held Applebloom's shoulder.

"Nope, we jest wanna practice sum more alright?" Applebloom grabbed a glass of milk from the fridge, "it has nuthin' ta do with you 'N thu Rainbooms," Applebloom explained and gulped down her beverage leaving a mustache above her lips.

"Applebloom, don't you go lyin' ta me, Ah can tell yer upset that Ah've been neglectin' helpin' ya with yer guitar playin'," Applejack scolded. The younger sister didn't respond. Instead, she rinsed out her glass and sat down at the table, waiting for her supper. "Look, after thu showcase, Ah'll bring over Rainbow Dash 'N we can help ya git yer guitar playin' down ta pat, how does that sound?" Applejack questioned. Applebloom smiled at her sister and wrapped her arms around her torso.

"Thanks Applejack," Applebloom replied, even though she wouldn't need the guitar training from her sister or Rainbow Dash anymore.

* * *

**(At Rarity's House)**

"Hey Rarity, how's that band of yours coming along?" Rarity's mother questioned as the family was sitting down for dinner.

"Oh just fabulous mother, we're sure to be the top band at the school showcase!" Rarity exclaimed as she cut apart her salad. "And I must return the grand piano to the piano shop, Sweetie Belle, would you be a dear and assist me?" She asked. The younger sister ceased eating her vegetarian sandwich and wiped her mouth.

"Sorry Rarity, but I've got plans with Scootaloo and Applebloom tomorrow after school," she replied.

"Oh, you and you're friends gonna join that there showcase too?" Rarity and Sweetie Belle's father asked as he buttered a piece of bread. "What's the name of your group again? The Commanders, The Commentators?"

"The Crusaders," Sweetie Belle corrected, "and no, we're not joining the showcase," Sweetie Belle explained.

"Well why not Sweetie Belle, did you and your friends have a fight again?" her mother swallowed her food.

"No mom, we just thought we'd spend more time practicing our instruments," Sweetie replied, "and it's nothing big, we just wanna practice more."

"Now Sweetie, I know you and your friends were excited when Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna announced the Showcase several weeks ago," Rarity squirted some ranch dressing onto her salad, "does this have anything to do with your WeToob video you posted last year?" Sweetie Blushed in embarrassment at the mention of the video her and her friends posted to the internet.

"No Rarity, we just don't think the Showcase is a big enough event for us, and we just need to practice more," Sweetie Belle lied, stuffing her face with spaghetti.

"Well alright, but I do think-" Rarity began before Sweetie Belle cut her off.

"Look, we don't care about the stupid showcase okay? We have WAY better things to do than sing in front of a bunch high schoolers, why don't you go practice with your big and important band already!?" Sweetie snapped and forcibly shoved herself away from the dining table. Her parents and sister winced as she slammed her door shut.

"Woah, what's gotten into Sweetie Belle there Rarity?" Rarity's father asked.

"Have you even spent some time with your little sister lately Rarity?" Her mom asked. Rarity slumped her shoulders and began to just pick at her food; her appetite seemed to have vanished without a trace.

"No, not really," she replied, "but in my defense she hasn't seemed to want to mother, she seems to love spending time with her own friends," Rarity defended.

"Yeah, but she likes to play music like you do, well sing anyways," her dad retorted, "can't you help her with that?" he asked. Rarity tapped her chin and twirled some of her hair.

"Well, possibly, but with the showcase coming up, I may not have time unit it is over," Rarity responded.

"I think you should Rarity. Sweetie Belle still loves ya a lot," her mom added. Rarity pondered on this for awhile before smiling and scooting back in her chair.

"I'll be back mother and father, I'm going to have a little chat with my sister," Rarity explained as she left. When the coast was clear, Rarity's father snatched up Rarity and Sweetie Belle's food and wolfed them down.

"Geez hun, you can't hold back for five seconds?"

* * *

**(At Rainbow Dash's House)**

Scootaloo had just finished up her English homework for the evening and was busy practicing her drumming with a book and a spoon and fork. Rainbow walked in the room and Scootaloo put down her fake drum kit to talk to her sister. "Hey Rainbow, how was practice?" Scootaloo excitedly asked.

"It was alright, but the rest of the band really needs to learn how to work faster with my awesome guitar solos, it's like I'm the Flash and they're a snail crawling through molasses," Rainbow took a huge swig of water.

"Are you gonna do Awesome as I wanna Be in the showcase?" The younger girl asked.

"It's my band Scootaloo, we're definitely gonna do that song and rock the showcase to its knees!" Rainbow fist pumped in the air. "Oh that reminds me, are you and the Crusaders signing up?" Rainbow questioned. Scootaloo was about to reply, but she remembered that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had sworn to keep Casey and Vinyl's band a secret from their sisters to surprise them.

"Nah, we've got better things to do than have a live embarrassment of our internet video," Scootaloo put away her book and utensils.

"WHAT!? Come on Scootaloo, you guys have come a long way since your WeToob incident," Rainbow tried to cheer up her sister.

"Nope, we all agreed we're gonna keep practicing until we get good enough to play something better than some dumb little showcase," Scootaloo turned her back to Rainbow Dash. The elder sister sighed and started a trek to her room.

"Fine, but maybe if you had a little confidence in yourself, you wouldn't be so scared to sign up," Rainbow said as she shut her door and plugged her guitar into her amp.

"Casey and Vinyl will show you who's scared Rainbow," Scootaloo muttered as she went back to tapping on her book with her fork and spoon.

* * *

**(The Next Day. CHS. Casey's POV)**

I met up with Vinyl after gathering up my school supplies for the day. She walked into school, strutting along to her deep bass beats on her stereo headphones. I chuckled when she danced her way to her locker, put her sack lunch on the shelf and grabbed her chemistry textbook. I was about to go and greet her for the day, but Principal Celestia confiscated her headphones just before the bell rang. "Morning Principal Celestia!" I called out.

"Oh, good morning Casey, you better get to class," the principal replied, turning her back to Vinyl. My girlfriend took this opportunity to take out her earbuds from her pocket and plug them into her iPhone.

"You have a good day principal!" I said as she turned a corner to go to her personal office. "Geez Vinyl, how many headphones is that?" I asked after she pecked my lips for buying her some time.

"I think that's seven in the last two weeks Casey," Vinyl responded and opened the chemistry lab door for the both us. We walked to the empty desk in the back and sat down together. Luckily, the teacher was cool with just about every student, so he didn't mind that we were about a minute late for class.

"So, I was thinking about signing up our band during lunch or something," I whispered while Mr. Discord lectured the class.

"That sounds like a good idea, I think the band room might be open for all five of us to meet and talk about it, unless Octavia uses it for her cello practice again," Vinyl scribbled down some notes.

"Well, we won't be practicing with our band just yet; maybe she'll let us have our meeting. I won't keep her from practicing," I replied. Vinyl shook her head as we both turned to page 394 of our textbooks and scribbled down more notes.

"Trust me Casey, she gets stubborn as hell if you intrude on her practice," Vinyl warned me. I shrugged in response and looked back up to see the class assignment for the rest of the period.

"I can handle that," I reassured Vinyl, "but how about I order us a pizza for Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo? That might get us off to a good start," I suggested.

"You really think that's necessary?" She asked me and lowered her sunglasses enough to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, Def Leppard commenced their band with a beer, but we could get in big trouble for that here, what's the drinking age again in America?" I joked in a smart ass manner. Vinyl flicked my wrist in response and stuck out her tongue. I chuckled but stopped when Mr. Discord got up from his desk and stood in front of us.

"Get to work on your assignment, unless you want a triple assignment due tomorrow," he warned us and went back to his seat, "damned kids and their rock 'n roll," he muttered under his breath and started drawing doodles on his notepad. Vinyl and I didn't talk for the rest of the period for fear of missing band practice for stupid homework. Finally, once the bell rang, everyone jogged out of class and gathered up supplies for second period. Sadly, Vinyl had Geometry and I had Business Math, so we had to go our separate ways, but at least we ran into Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom in the hallway during the passing period.

"Hey girls, did you get a good night's sleep?" I stuffed my math book into my book bag and held my notebooks under my arm.

"Yeah, but Ah felt bad 'bout lyin' ta mah sister last night," Applebloom gloomily replied.

"And I did feel bad about leaving dinner in a huff in front of my sister and parents," Sweetie Belle chimed in sadly.

"It was the same old for me and Dash," Scootaloo shrugged. I sighed and shook my head at my little friends.

"Girls, I never said you had to lie or ditch your parents and sister at dinner," I said.

"But they were asking about the showcase Casey, what else were we going to say?" Sweetie Belle countered. "We said we weren't signing up, after that, we had to lie," she added.

"Okay, now I get it, maybe we should've gone over if they asked why you weren't signing up, but that doesn't matter right now," we turned the corner, "Vinyl and I want you three to meet us in the band room during lunch," I explained.

"Fer what?" Applebloom curiously asked.

"To talk about the song we'll play for the showcase, I've noticed that there are too many pop bands in the school, and seriously no rock bands," I stated.

"What about Flash Sentry's band?" Scootaloo asked.

"Eh, he's more of an alternative band," I shrugged it off. "But I want to show this school that rock isn't dead and is still the greatest genre of music ever!" I declared as the bell rang.

"GET TO CLASS!" A teacher shouted at us.

"Crap, see you at lunch!" I exclaimed as we all ran towards our classrooms.

* * *

**(Lunch Time. Front Office. Casey POV)**

The bell rang for lunch time; the majority of the student body hustled to the cafeteria to quell their hunger while some sat out in the courtyard with sack lunches or went off campus for lung in their cars. "Casey Knight, we have a pizza here for you from Domino's," the loud speaker announced. "I'll see you in a bit babe, the others should be there by now," I held Vinyl for a few seconds with my lips on hers.

"I'll make sure they don't burn the place down," she smirked and dub stepped her way to the band room. Grabbing my wallet from my backpack, I hurried down to the front office to pay the pizza guy.

"That'll be $18.27." I handed the delivery guy a $20 bill and told him to keep the change. As I was grabbing the box, I saw the three new girls walking out of Celestia's and Luna's office, all with these creepy grins on their faces.

"Now, let's go greet our fellow competitors," the one with big orange hair said as she tapped her fingers together. I remembered seeing them in the Starbucks last night, but they had their hoods up. Grabbing the pizza box, I jogged my way down to the band room where Octavia was fuming mad, stomping down the hallway.

"Just because Vinyl is my friend doesn't mean you two can kick me out of my practice room!" She yelled at me.

"Calm down Toots, I'm sure you can practice in a janitor's closet somewhere, or maybe on the roof," I joked. She viciously swung her bow at me, trying to cut off my head, but I ducked just in time. "Nice swing ya got there, maybe you should sign up for the baseball team!" I called as I opened the band room door.

"PIZZA!" The three crusaders exclaimed and practically mauled me for the food. Vinyl took one look at the pizza box and shook her head.

"Aren't you forgetting something Casey?" She questioned.

"I don't think so, I've got the bassist, drummer and second guitarist music sheets in my back pocket," I produced said music sheets and passed them along to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"We've got food, but no..." Vinyl tried to explain to me in a 'durrr' voice.

"Aw shit, the drinks!" I face palmed, "pardon my language, but which do you guys prefer, Pepsi or Coca-Cola?"

"Pepsi," all four girls unanimously said.

"Good choice there," I winked with my pale green eye and once again jogged down the hallway. As I jogged, I started to hum the opening guitar riff from Black Sabbath's _Iron Man;_ I kinda like to make bad ass entrances. However, I found it strange that the normal rowdiness of the lunchroom was extinct as I neared the doors. I peered in through the glass of the doors to see all the kids watching the three new girls performing a musical number while walking on top of the tables and towards the front of the room.

_"Let's have a battle, a battle of the bands,"_ is what I was greeted with upon opening the door. I could see everyone's eyes glued to the trio, as if E.T and Darth Vader were standing in front of the lunchroom.

_"What's so wrong with a little competition?"_ The three girls sang in harmony.

"Fucking showoffs," I grumbled and put five dollars into the Pepsi machine. Hearing the familiar sound of cans being dropped to the opening, I bent down and collected them in my hands, but as I turned around, I was met with another surprise. Everybody, with the exception of Fluttershy and all of her friends, were staring each other down, pointing fingers and getting in each other's faces.

_"A Battle of the Bands,"_ the trio finished their song. I stood up from the Pepsi machine and turned around to see Flash Sentry, Bulk Biceps and Trixie glaring at me as if I were a murderer on death row.

"What got shoved up everyone's asses?" I rolled my eyes and exited the lunchroom with all five sodas in hand. Looking at the clock, I saw I only had 15 precious minutes of lunch left, so I raced back to the main office to sign up for the showcase before lunch was over. "Can I set these on your desk real quick?" I asked the secretary, to which she nodded and continued watching WeToob videos.

"Oh, the principals are already on lunch in the teacher's lounge Casey," the secretary called as I knocked on Celestia's door. The door slightly opened, just enough for me to get in and sign up for the showcase. The sheet was on a clipboard, hanging from the desk of Principal Celestia with about sixteen other band names on it. I grabbed the nearest pen and scribbled down our band name on the final slot, but didn't write down our names to keep it a surprise. I also remembered that tonight we had to go to the party for all the bands that signed up, so I would get there really early and put our poster up on the wall.

"And we are good to go," I whispered to myself. Yet, as I put the clipboard and pen down, I noticed something peculiar about the sign up sheet. The words 'Musical Showcase' were crossed out and the words 'Battle of the Bands' written above. "What the hell is going on here?" I asked myself, but then, I heard the familiar voices of Celestia, Luna and Rainbow Dash approaching. "Shit," I cursed and slipped out before they entered.

"Oh, Casey, what are you doing here?" Luna asked me.

"Just picking up my pizza, I had to go get some sodas to go with it," I grabbed the five cans of soda and ran out. I didn't even bother to offer anyone a drink; I had to tell my girlfriend and our friends the news.

* * *

I had ran back to the band room as fast as I could, all the while trying not to drop any cans of soda. "So, let me get this straight, the principals just decided to cancel the showcase and are putting on a battle of the bands instead?" Vinyl scratched her head.

"That's what I'm saying hun. I guess Celestia and Luna had the new girls announce it to everyone during lunch, clever, but they're a pop group," I shuddered.

"Well, is that so bad? I mean, if we play rock like you want us to Casey, I'm sure we'll blow them and every other band out of the water!" Scootaloo cracked her knuckles. I sat down in an empty chair and breathed a deep breath as I ran my hand through my shoulder length jet black hair.

"This changes everything girls," I blurted out.

"Whaddya mean Casey?" Applebloom asked, "yer not breakin' the band up are ya?" she worriedly questioned.

"Absolutely not Applebloom," I exclaimed, "all I meant was, we need to practice more than just the song I gave you, which by the way, do you girls think you can do tomorrow at the audition?" I asked.

"When's that?" Sweetie Belle raised her hand.

"I'm thinking it's tomorrow when the Showcase was supposed to start, which means we've really got to get this first song down so we make it in," I reiterated.

"Well, with some practice today after school and tomorrow after school but before the audition, I think you girls will do just fine," Vinyl chimed in. "They told me that they need some new instruments, or an instrument in some cases," Vinyl winked at a blushing Scootaloo.

"Luckily, Vinyl has all you need at her house girls," I said as the bell rang. "Alright, let's meet up at Vinyl's at three, and bring your outfits you want to wear, but nothing revealing!" I shouted as the three crusaders dashed out of the band room. Vinyl and I quickly threw away the empty cans of soda and the empty pizza box.

"Oh Casey, I took your drawing for the band logo and had it printed onto the front of the bass drum for tomorrow," Vinyl informed me and put in her earbuds.

"Sweet Vinyl, I'll see you after school alright? Then we'll head back here for the party with the Crusaders, but remember, we don't say anything to anybody at the party. If anyone asks, we just say we're there for moral support for Fluttershy and the Rainbooms," I asked Vinyl to make sure she understood.

"Sounds like a plan Case," Vinyl lowered her sunglasses and winked at me as she dub stepped out of the band room. I gathered up the sheet music from the desks we were sitting on and folded them back into my pocket and left the band room just as the teacher came back.

* * *

**(Later at the Band Party in the Gymnasium. 3rd person POV)**

Casey did just as he told Vinyl and the Crusaders after practicing their audition song at Vinyl's house: He got to the party an hour early with help from the janitor and put up the poster for their band, right next to the poster for the Rainbooms as a tease. Now however, all the bands that had signed up for the showcase turned Battle of the Bands, had arrived and the 'party' was in full swing so to say. Although, Casey, Vinyl, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom noticed that something was very off about everybody.

"I thought a party meant the bands would mingle with each other," Sweetie Belle commented and munched on a cookie.

"Not stick with their own bands and stare at the other bands hoping their heads will explode," Scootaloo sipped on some punch.

"Hey, there are those new girls over there Vinyl," Casey nudged his girlfriend. Vinyl paused her music to see the trio of new girls leaning against the gymnasium bleachers, just watching everyone.

"Eh, they don't seem too impressive," Vinyl flipped her music back on. He didn't mention it, but Casey swore the blue skinned girl with her hair in a ponytail winked at him. He rolled his pale green eyes and turned back to his friends.

"Hey Knight, what are you doing here?" Casey heard an angry voice ask. The only one who called him by his last name with the exception of Rainbow was...

"What do you want Flash?" Casey replied.

"So, you did sign up after all didn't you? You're wasting your time Brit," Flash furrowed his eyebrows.

"We didn't sign up genius," Casey retorted and slurped his punch loudly like an asshole.

"Then what did you show up for? This party is for bands only," Flash crossed his arms and flung his guitar behind him.

"We're showin' moral support fer our sister's band tough guy!" Applebloom got up close to Flash's face on her toes.

"Calm down Applebloom," Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle held her back, "he's just upset that his alternative music sucks," Scootaloo added. Before Flash could say anything, who should appear but The Rainbooms, Sunset Shimmer and, "Who the hell is that?" Casey questioned as he saw a new girl with lavender skin. He wanted to wave to Fluttershy, but Flash turned around and bumped into the new girl.

"Okay, this guy's bipolar," Casey shook his head. Flash and this new girl talked back and forth, mainly Flash as the girl blushed and stumbled over her words. Suddenly, the trio of girls headed over to the nearest doors, causing Rainbow to toss a piece of balled up paper at the lavender girl. She turned to look at the trio of big haired girls standing in front of the door. "Something's going down guys," Casey whispered to his friends. The rest of the band followed Casey's gaze as the lavender girl, The Rainbooms, and Sunset Shimmer marched their way over to the trio of girls who had these very cocky and confident looks on their faces.

"What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked me.

"Somethin' goin' between our sisters 'n those other girls?" Applebloom guessed. Suddenly, everyone's conversations erupted in volume, making what The Rainbooms were saying to the other girls impossible to hear. Then, the lavender girl raised her voice to a shout to be heard over the loud conversations.

"There isn't going to be a Battle of the Bands," she declared in a heroic pose, "we'll make sure of that!"

"Are we all watching the same thing?" Scootaloo questioned as she looked at her fruit punch and dumped it into a trash can. All members of the Rainbooms and the lavender girl joined hands and the new lead girl shouted at the top of her lungs.

"FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!" Causing everyone in the gym to shut up. Nothing happened, save for dozens of pairs of eyes staring at the band. Sunset Shimmer looked around in nervousness and fear while the Rainbooms opened their eyes in embarrassment.

"Just who is Fluttershy hanging out with?" Vinyl asked Casey. The trio of girls all shrugged their shoulders, confused as to what was going on, but suddenly, the golden colored girl with huge poofy hair started cackling.

"Talk about throwing down the gauntlet!" She mocked, "these girls are obviously more serious than any other band about claiming victory! Perhaps they got their cockiness from Kyle Busch? Saying the battle is practically over with them as the victors?" The girl prance around.

"Not if the Great and Powerful Trixie and the Illusions have a say in the matter!" Trixie Lulamoon declared.

"I hate that girl," Casey rubbed his temples.

"Oh screw you Trixie!" Flash pointed his index finger at the magician and her band, "you know MY band is gonna kick all the other bands in the ass!" He threatened. Casey had to throw his hands over the mouths of Scootaloo and Applebloom as they wanted to shout out about their band.

"Stand down girls," Casey warned, "we'll have our time, it's just not now," he whispered. The two girls ceased their struggling and Casey released their mouths. Before anybody knew it, all the bands began to argue, save for Casey and Vinyl's band, and the Rainbooms. "Here, I'm gonna find out what the hell is going on," Casey told Vinyl. "Hey Fluttershy!" Casey called. The creme colored girl in question looked to her left to see her British friend waving at her.

"Oh Casey, now's not the best time," Fluttershy said meekly.

"Not the best? We're friends here aren't we? I just wanted to say hi to ya, and ask who your new friend is," Casey extended his hand out to the lavender girl.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, Casey was it?"

"Yeah that's right, Casey Knight, now do ya mind tellin' me what that display was? I don't think you guys sounded cocky, but what was that friendship thing?" He questioned and crossed his arms.

"None of your concern Mr. Knight," Rarity got in between Casey and Twilight.

"And what are you doing here anyway?" Rainbow asked, "you and Vinyl didn't sign up did you?" She scanned the room to see Vinyl and the Crusaders standing in the corner.

"No we didn't, we and your sisters are just here for moral support for your band; I didn't think my presence would be met with unfavoritism," Casey replied.

"Well, thank ya for the moral support partner, but we really got ta git goin, we'll see ya and our sisters in the audience tomorrow!" Applejack exclaimed as the Rainbooms hauled ass out of there. Casey turned back around and headed back to the rest of his band.

"They didn't tell me anything; they were eager to get outta here," Casey explained to his group, "and I don't blame them, let's get out of here before punches are thrown," Casey hustled them out of the gym. Meanwhile, the trio of girls were busy soaking in the negative air to add to their power.

"Ah, the magic we've been seeking has found US!" The lead girl grinned evilly.

"What magic Adagio?" The blue skinned girl with a ponytail questioned as she was busy munching on cookies.

"_Equestrian _magic Sonata," the purple skinned girl with pigtails replied and face palmed.

"Oh right, sorry Aria," Sonata giggled up a storm, "but how did you know where the magic was again?"

"Grr, those girls were immune to our spell Sonata!" Adagio kept herself from yelling at her friend.

"Okay gotcha, so what do we do?" Sonata questioned.

"It's obvious Sonata, we compete until the final round until our magic is powerful enough to extract The Rainboneheads' magic from them, and then nothing can stop us!" Aria explained through clenched teeth.

"Hey! I'm the leader, _I_ do the thinking Aria!" Adagio growled. Aria rolled her eyes and flicked her pigtails. "Hahaha, tomorrow, these pathetic fools will be at each other's throats, this'll be a cinch since those girls are the only band that's able to compete with us," Adagio's eyes flashed red.

* * *

**(Outside the School, 3rd Person POV)**

"Alright girls, tomorrow is a big day for us," Casey began as Vinyl, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom all sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard.

"And we're sure you all will rock the hell outta the school," Vinyl placed a motherly hand on each of the crusader's shoulders, having to move from one to another.

"Well, we haven't performed since our video-" Scootaloo started.

"Forget the video, the video is history, this is NOW," Casey emphasized. "Look, at practice today, sure you guys were a little rusty, but I have faith in every person in this band. Remember, this is not a one person show, this takes a team effort from all of us if we're gonna at least make it to the finals," Casey said.

"Ah thought you didn't care 'bout winnin'," Applebloom chimed in.

"I don't Applebloom, but I just thought it would be nice for us to make to the finals when all we're doing is having fun. Sure it's a competition, but Rock is about having a blast with all your friends, just fuck the competition alright?" Casey swore. "Pretend all we're doing is just playing for our nonjudgmental sisters or friends, and I'm sure you will do great. If we don't get to the finals, we had a blast didn't we? And if we do get to the finals, well, we'll just have to bring our best out then," Casey concluded.

"But, what if we screw up the audition for you and Vinyl Casey?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

"We know you're trying your best, that's all we ask for kid," Vinyl smiled warmly at Sweetie Belle. "Now, go home, listen to some rock and get a good nights sleep for tomorrow, okay?" Vinyl asked the three younger girls.

"We won't let you guys down, Crusaders honor!" Scootaloo declared as the three stood up in a pose.

"Alright, now we're gonna rock the school to the core tomorrow!" Casey shouted. "Go get some sleep!" He shouted again. The Crusaders held up their hands for the hand signal of Rock 'N Roll as they ran home.

**End Chapter 2**

* * *

_So, anybody wanna guess what Casey, Vinyl, and the Crusader's Band Name is? Anybody? Alright, you'll find out next chapter. Sorry if there was very little music in this chapter, but I'm saving it for the Audition for next Chapter. _

_Also for the next Chapter, I'm completely changing the scoring bracket system from the one they used in the movie. You'll get the explanation next time in the audition. _

_I do not own Iron Man by Black Sabbath_

_I do not own Let's Have a Battle from Rainbow Rocks. _


	3. Chapter 3: A Crazy Audition

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 3: One Crazy Audition**

_What do you want? I want Rock 'N Roll! Long Live Rock 'N Roll -Def Leppard, Rock of Ages, Pyromania, 1983._

**Guest: **_Okay, those lyrics from the second song are pretty damned good._

**SwifterShifter:** _Thank you so much! And you'll find out after the audition in this chapter, it shan't be pretty. _

**Wolfdragon: **_Thanks for the recommendation, but I already have the setlist for songs they'll sing down, so sorry about that. However, that doesn't mean it will not get used..._

**XluckinekolivesX: **_Sorry, I've already gotten the setlist down. _

_Alright guys, here it is. The audition song and the name of what Casey, Vinyl, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's band are. I really hope you guys like the songs I used for the story; I spent HOURS listening to dozens of potential candidates for songs and I have compiled the list of the best that I own on my phone._

_Also, in the film, Celestia and Luna used a traditional Band A versus Band B bracket where the winner goes on to compete another winner. However, I decided to go a different route because the ending I've envisioned could not possibly happen using the bracket in the film. The one I'm using is really more simple and to the point. 17 bands will attempt to audition with one failing to even qualify for the Battle of the Bands. Then, all 16 bands will perform their song for Round 1. After all 16 bands perform, Celestia and Luna eliminate the worst 8 bands, leveling off the competitors to 8 bands. Then, all 8 perform, and the best four move on to the semi finals where they will compete and then the last two will be chosen for the finale and the Championship._

_I decided to go with a different scoring system because honestly, if you paused the film and looked at who was competing against who, you AUTOMATICALLY knew who was going to advance, here, I'd like it to be more of a surprise._

_And finally, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom are all wearing the outfits they wore for their band in the actual film, Vinyl has an 80s hair wig with her actual hair color and Casey wears cut up jeans and a Union Jack tank top._

* * *

**(School Gymnasium. Start of the auditions. 3rd person POV) **

"Alright Casey, how'd you sign us up without anyone noticing?" Scootaloo asked in an impressed tone. The whole band was sitting on the bottom row of bleachers near the exit door of the gymnasium. They were all wearing their outfits for when they'd be on stage, yet thankfully no one had seen the outfits before. When asked why they were dressed like that Casey gave the excuse.

_"Oh I thought we were at a battle of the bands? Might as well dress up in support for our sisters and friends right?"_ And since everyone was still shooting death glares like machine gunfire, everyone bought the lie. Although he prayed that Applejack wouldn't ask; he knew from all four of his bandmates that she could spot a lie a mile away. Speaking of which, none of the Rainbooms had shown up yet, and there was only ten minutes left for the deadline.

"I'm pretty tight with the janitor Scootaloo, that pays huge dividends, remember that," he advised.

***FLASHBACK***

It was still five minutes before the doors to the gym were even opened to sign the bands up; Casey had shown up a little early thanks to his janitor friend. "Okay, coast is clear Casey," the janitor wearing a navy blue pair of coveralls whispered. The Brit looked around to double check and casually walked into the gym.

"You're sure they won't be back until it's time to open the doors Gordy?" Casey questioned.

"Sure, Celestia likes to sneak pieces of cake from the cafeteria around this time and Luna enjoys a little quiet reading time with Stephen King in the library," Gordy replied.

"So _that's_ why I never get cake in the lunch room," Casey grumbled as he pulled a blue pen out of his pocket. "Now, you promise not to tell _anyone_ about our band name or that we signed up?"

"You've got my word as a Boy Scout, if I ever made it past Cub Scouts, I could never get the square knot down," Gordy rambled. Casey quickly signed the band's name onto the sign up sheet and stuck his pen back into his pocket.

"Alright, we're done here Gordy, thanks," Casey shook his hand. Suddenly the two heard approaching footsteps and saw shadows on the walls outside the gym doors.

"Quick Casey! Out the back door!" Gordy shoved his British friend out of the back door, setting off the emergency exit alarm.

"Gordy! What are you doing in here?!" Celestia demanded, wiping cake frosting off her lips.

"Oh nothing, just checking to see if the door alarms work!" Gordy shouted over the alarm.

"They appear to be functioning as normal, now turn them off!" Luna crossed her arms.

***END FLASHBACK***

"Hmm, Ah'll keep that in mind," Applebloom made a mental note of Casey's advice. "Now Vinyl, ya got our instruments hidden right?" She asked.

"Yep, got 'em hidden in the storage supply closet behind the curtain," Vinyl replied, "all we gotta do is hurry over behind stage right as the band performing before us is finishing and shut the curtain as they get off and we set up just as we're announced," she explained.

"And did anyone check to see who is going before us?" Sweetie Belle questioned. Scootaloo jumped up from her seat and took a quick peek at the order that Celestia and Luna had determined.

"Uh guys," she rubbed the back of her head nervously, "The Rainbooms are before us," she said sheepishly. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked nervously at each other and gulped while Scootaloo started to sweat.

"Oh great, how are we gonna sneak past our sisters when they're done playin'?" Applebloom panicked and held her head.

"Hey hey, snap out of it kids," Casey snapped his fingers, "we'll be just fine. There's some stage props we can hide behind while they get off stage," Casey reassured the trio. Then, the main doors blew open and The Rainbooms hustled in like Marine Corps Privates late for morning training.

"Did, we, make, it?" Rainbow Dash breathed heavily in front of Principal Celestia. She turned her head and looked at the gymnasium clock on the wall above the doors.

"With three minutes to spare, you're lucky girls, but unfortunately you'll be one of the final bands to audition, though I'm sure you'll pass the audition round," Celestia winked. Rainbow scribbled down the band's name so fast that some of the ink burned through the paper, but not enough to alter anything. Meanwhile, The Dazzlings were sitting alone on the top row of bleachers, watching down like hawks at the students below them.

"And now that our final band has signed up, both my sister and I would like to welcome each and everyone of you to the first annual Canterlot High School battle of the bands!" Principal Celestia announced into a microphone. Everyone with the exception of the Dazzlings, The Rainbooms and Casey and Vinyl's band erupted in applause.

"Don't wanna attract attention now girls," Casey whispered.

"I believe we can all agree that this competition is one of the greatest things ever to happen to our beloved school," Celestia bragged. More applause met the principal as she paused in her speech. Casey saw Fluttershy look his way and she gave a friendly wave which Casey returned to his friend.

_"Fluttershy, pay attention!"_ Rarity yanked her down and out of Casey's sight.

"And, Luna and I are _so_ thrilled that our three newest students convinced us to turn the boring old showcase into an exciting battle!" Celestia added. Adagio, Sonata and Aria then gave fake happy waves to the crowd as they were applauded.

"Woah, _they_ convinced them to turn this into a Battle of the Bands?" Vinyl scratched her 80s styled wig.

"Damned rich kids," Casey sipped on a soda. Then, Vice Principal Luna took the microphone from her older sister's grasp.

"However, as my sister stated before, this is now a _competition_ and that means we can only have ONE winner," Luna explained, causing everyone not affiliated with The Rainbooms, The Dazzlings or Casey and Vinyl's band to give each other distrusting glares like a group would give to each other in an everyone-is-a-suspect murder story. "Just WHO is it going to be?" Luna seemed to purposefully add fuel to the fire. "Also, since there are now 17 bands instead of 16, that means one band will NOT qualify for the battle," Luna added at the last minute. The death glares were over, now everyone started to degrade and mock everyone else.

"You guys suck!"

"You're the WORST musicians in the whole school!"

"We're gonna kick your ass!" No one noticed the strange green aura seeping through the air and entering the red lockets around the necks of The Dazzlings. Adagio gave a silently evil chuckle as all three girls breathed in deeply from the higher amounts of energy flowing through them.

"Alright, calm down everyone, we will begin with Trixie and the Illusions in five minutes! Go to the bathroom or get some water, we will begin in five minutes!" Luna declared. Several dozen people exited the gym to do just that. It was then that the rest of the Rainbooms noticed their sisters sitting on the bleachers.

"Hey girls, didn't you say your sisters weren't signing up?" Pinkie Pie asked as she balanced one of her drum sticks on top of her head. Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack turned to look where at Pinkie Pie.

"Yeah," Applejack said.

"What about it?" Rainbow added.

"Well, then why are they sitting over there with Casey and Vinyl wearing special outfits?" Pinkie Pie explained.

"WHAT!?" The farm girl cried out as she saw Applebloom sitting on the bleachers. Applejack then began her trek over to the bleachers with Rarity and Rainbow in tow.

"Girls, get your jackets and skirts back on now!" Vinyl warned. The trio of girls gasped when they saw their older sisters weaving through the crowd towards them. Luckily they had their backpacks stuffed with their regular clothes inside. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom threw their skirts and jackets over their stage costumes and jammed their wigs and other hair accessories into their backpacks with their legs hidden by their backpacks.

"Jest what do you think yer doin' little missy?!" Applejack demanded as she, Rainbow and Rarity reached the seats. "N why are ya wearin' makeup like that?" AJ added angrily.

"They're hangin' out with me 'n Vinyl," Casey casually replied, jabbing his thumb towards his girlfriend.

"Well, why would they want to hang with you two?" Rarity asked, "uh no offense," she added.

"Eh, the girls like me, and Casey's my boyfriend and helps them with homework," Vinyl nonchalantly replied.

"I thought you all said you weren't signing up," Rainbow tapped her foot in front of Scootaloo.

"Do you see us with instruments?" Casey asked in an obvious tone.

"Ah'm not buying it," Applejack growled, "which band are ya? There's sixteen we can choose from 'n we know jest about nine of them that aren't you," Applejack warned.

"We jest wanted ta support our sisters," Applebloom put on a fake sad face and conjured up crocodile tears, "th-that's why we have thu makeup on, ta support ya."

"But no, if you want us to leave," Sweetie Belle put on her puppy dog face that her counterpart did in _'Sleepless in Ponyville.'_

"We'll just leave you guys alone," Scootaloo joined in. Having caught on, Casey and Vinyl stood up and all five walked slowly towards the door to leave. Rarity and Rainbow felt bad for their sisters, Casey and Vinyl, but Applejack still didn't buy their story.

"Oh, come back, we could use the loving support of our sisters!" Rarity begged.

"Yeah, we need an awesome fan club, and Casey too I guess," Rainbow added. Casey mentally flipped her the bird as all five came walking back.

"Are y'all mental? They're lyin' Ah can feel it," Applejack protested.

"Look Applejack, just let this one slide, we got bigger things to do," Rainbow yanked Applejack away. The farm girl turned and bore her emerald eyes into Applebloom's orange ones, giving her a look that read, _'The next time Ah see ya, you're in big trouble young lady.'_

"And the Oscar goes to the Crusaders, well done ladies!" Casey congratulated his little friends and patted their backs.

"I thought they would catch on there for a minute," Scootaloo wiped her forehead.

"Thank goodness you guys caught on," Sweetie Belle took off her jacket since she was starting to get far too warm wearing two outfits.

"Ah'm gonna be in a huge heap 'o trouble tonight," Applebloom rocked back and forth on her seat, clutching her knees.

"I can talk to her if you want Applebloom," Casey softly patted her back again, "who do you think was the one that helped her get the Flim Flam brothers back for trying to screw her out of $1000?" Casey asked. Before Applebloom could answer, the students who left came flooding back in and took their seats. The main lights to the gymnasium were shut off by Gordy and the stage lights appeared. Celestia and Luna sat down at a table in front of the stage with two sets of paper, two pens and a large pitcher of water.

"Alright, first band up is Trixie and The Illusions!" Celestia announced. Trixie and two other girls ran up the stairs of the stage and took their places with their instruments, sort of. Trixie wielded an electric guitar while her two cronies had portable auto tuners.

"Really, that's their band?" Scootaloo mocked.

"I may use auto tuners a lot, but at least I do the keyboard and backbeat at the same time," Vinyl rolled her eyes. Finally, Trixie and her friends began to play the song they had chosen for the Audition.

* * *

**(A good while later. 3rd person POV)**

"Alright, I can count two _maybe_ three bands that could stand in our way besides the sirens," Rainbow rubbed her chin as Bulk Biceps left the stage with his violin.

"Yep, Flash's band fer one," Applejack agreed.

"Trixie's band sounded pretty solid and consistent to me," Fluttershy continued.

"And quite possibly Lyra and Bon Bon," Rarity commented, causing the rest of The Rainbooms, Sunset and little Spike to slowly turn their heads towards the elegant loving girl, "oh come on, they performed the grand piano flawlessly and their duet is absolutely beautiful!" She defended. Rainbow pinched the bridge of her nose while Twilight nervously flipped through her notebook containing the counter spell that wasn't even close to being ready yet. Meanwhile, Casey and Vinyl's band were enjoying themselves on the bottom row of the bleachers, all smirking at the bands that had attempted to audition.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Casey put up his hands, "Bulk Biceps actually sounded pretty good on that violin of his," Casey exclaimed.

"Honestly, Ah liked Octavia's cello playin'," Applebloom chimed in.

"Lyra and Bon Bon would've sounded much better if they each had keyboards instead of a piano," Sweetie Belle added. Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Geez, besides me and Pinkie, the other drummers in this school suck!" She said.

"We're almost up Scootaloo, you'll show 'em how it's done," Vinyl replied. Finally, after taking a few sips of water and marking down their thoughts, Celestia and Luna were prepared to introduce the next band to attempt to audition.

"Now, we'd like to introduce," Celestia read the list of band names on her sheet of paper, "MC Snips and DJ Snazzy Snails," she announced.

"Aw yeah!" Snips hopped up onto stage wearing the stereotypical rap outfit.

"Yo dawgs," Snails added as the duo began to strut around on stage. Everyone in the audience, even the two principals, (except of course for Sonata and Pinkie Pie) grimaced when the two started to beatbox. Using his right hand, Casey marked a cross across his chest and Vinyl turned the music on her headphones up louder than normal.

"Girls, may God have mercy on our ears," Casey commented. All three crusaders reached into their backpacks and stuffed pieces of notebook paper into their ears, sighing in relief. The Rainbooms were awaiting their chance next to the stage as they were scheduled to go after the disaster that was currently on stage.

"You actually enjoy this crap?" Rainbow and Adagio asked Pinkie and Sonata at exactly the same time, though neither could each other as they were on opposite sides of the gymnasium. Pinkie was dancing in place to the beat while Sonata drummed her fingers on her knee, shaking her head back and forth.

"_They call me MC Snips and that ain't no lie, my favorite food is like pumpkin pie!_ Snips 'rapped' before moving out of the way for Snails to do whatever.

_"I'm DJ Snazzy Snails, I like whales. When I go to the __beach I always bring my pails,"_ he rapped, completely off key.

"Can't do it, can't do it," Casey dove his hand into Sweetie Belle's backpack and yanked out her sharpest pencil. "The only way out," Casey chanted and began to thrust the pencil into his ear.

"NO!" Vinyl exclaimed and grabbed ahold of her boyfriend's wrist, preventing him from stabbing his ear drum.

"You heard this shit Vinyl, I can't punish my ear drums like this, they haven't done anything wrong!" Casey countered and again tried to move the pencil into his ear. Now, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo grabbed ahold of Vinyl's arm and helped her yank the pencil out of Casey's hand.

_"Everybody knows my favorite color is orange. My rhymes are so fly they're better than..."_ Snips ceased rhyming as he realized nothing rhymed with orange.

"Why do you girls hate me?" Casey winced and covered his ears, berating himself for not bringing a pair of headphones to play some Lynyrd Skynyrd or Queen to drown out the horrendous act on stage.

_"Than an orange yo!" _Snails finished for Snips. The two beat boxed once again as everyone except for Sonata and Pinkie shook their heads in either disgust, confusion, pain or a mocking fashion.

"BAM THAT JUST HAPPENED!" Both Snips and Snails screamed into the microphones before posing back to back and dropping the microphones, giving an enormously loud feedback noise to emit through the speakers on stage. Simultaneously, every hand in the audience went up to cover someone's ears as the two stood on stage, posing.

"Please do not drop the microphones," Celestia calmly ordered. The two dunderheads strutted off stage, believing they were talented in anyway.

"Oh thank God, some talent to follow up some shit," Casey thanked God as The Rainbooms did last minute preparations for their set.

"Beat that Rainbooms!" Snails bragged. The Rainbooms chuckled in response.

"Guess that's one group that won't stand in our way," Applejack commented.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, where's your sister?" Scootaloo asked her friend, "I don't see her anywhere," she added.

"Next up, The Rainbooms!" Luna announced. Sweetie Belle scanned her eyes across the room, searching for her big sister, but to no avail.

"Sorry, sorry I'm late!" Rarity called as she burst through the gym doors in a new outfit. "If we're going to perform in front of a somewhat cultured audience, I'm going to wear something absolutely fabulous!" Rarity posed and bragged.

"Oh Rarity," Sweetie Belle face-palmed.

"Come on Rarity, we're on now!" Rainbow grumbled as the band took stage while Sunset scooped up Spike and held him in her arms while she watched from backstage. Everyone got into their respective positions on stage, but before they began, Twilight had one last thing to say.

"Okay, we can play good, but not too good to show off our magic to the sirens, got it girls?" She asked. All the band members nodded in agreement while Rainbow adjusted the strap on her guitar.

"Alright, good enough to get the crowd riled up, but not too much to knock them on their butts, so 20% less cool," she replied and strummed her guitar. Pinkie Pie raised her drumsticks and clacked them together twice.

"One, two!"

* * *

**(One Sabotaged Rainbooms Performance later. 3rd Person POV)**

The Rainbooms, or what was left of them anyways, stood on stage in embarrassment. Rarity was sobbing like a drama-queen over her ripped off sleeves and had mascara running down her cheeks. Fluttershy was on the verge of tears as she clutched her tambourine to her chest behind Pinkie Pie's drum kit. A good majority of the student body was snickering at their performance, save for Casey, Vinyl, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

"What the Bloody Fuck happened?!" Casey exclaimed as Luna and Celestia applauded The Rainbooms for their somewhat decent performance. "They sounded good; they would've sounded better if some dead fucker didn't screw with them," Casey added as he and the rest of the band stood up.

"Why don't we take a five minute break and come back for the last two bands?" Celestia suggested.

"Let's get set up in a minute Vinyl," Casey suggested while the five casually strolled to the stage, "Applebloom, follow me," Casey added. The southern girl stuck to Casey's side as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed Vinyl.

"What're we doin' Casey?" Applebloom asked. Just then, Snips and Snails emerged from the catwalk staircase, high-fiving each other.

"Did you see how that pathetic Fluttershy ran away from a light?!" Snails laughed.

"Just as I thought," Casey gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles. The Brit lunged at the two morons, grabbing them by their collars and hoisting them into the air. "You bloody wankers sabotaged my friend's band. Fluttershy didn't deserve that," Casey spat on Snails.

"YOU TWO!? How could ya sabotage mah sister's band like that!?" Applebloom kicked them in the shins, to which they howled in pain.

"You scared boys?" Casey slammed the two into the wall. They nodded, on the verge of tears, "well you shouldn't be scared of me; I'm going to drop you off in front of Applejack and Rainbow Dash and they'll deal with you, won't that be _fun_?"

"NO! Anything but that Mr. Knight!" Snips begged.

"Too late boys!" Casey drug them by their collars to where the Rainbooms were yelling at each other. Applebloom quickly closed the curtain so no one else would see what would happen to the poor boys, and to keep their band a secret for as long as possible. Casey to where her sister was. The duo passed Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Vinyl as the guarded the closet where their instruments were. "Oh ladies, hope I'm not interrupting!" Casey called out.

"Hey, band members only Knight!" Rainbow tried to run him off.

"I understand, but I've got a present for ya!" He thrusted Snips and Snails onto the ground, "THESE two were the ones who sabotaged your act!" He declared. The group gasped, save for Rarity who jumped to her feet and grabbed the two boys just like Casey had.

"I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU FOR RUINING MY OUTFIT!" She shouted. Pinkie and Sunset grabbed the fashionista and pulled her away from the two boys who were on the verge of pissing themselves.

"Please don't hurt us," Snips begged.

"Ya do anythin' like this again to ANY band 'n we'll hog tie ya, gag ya and string ya up by yer belts on thu flagpole outside, got it!?" Applejack warned. The rap duo nodded and were promptly chucked out the back door of the gym.

"Well, thanks for catching those responsible for ruining our audition song Casey," Twilight thanked.

"Hey, Fluttershy is my friend, I'd do anything to help her or her friends," Casey hugged Fluttershy and went to shake Twilight's hand, but a certain purple dog growled at him, "Woah, easy there pup," Casey yanked his hand away.

"Spike!" Twilight scolded, "be nice," she ordered.

"Okay, one minute until the next band takes stage, one minute!" Celestia said over the microphone.

"Guess we'd better sit down girls, only two bands left," Casey suggested, "Oh and until all that happened, I thought you girls sounded great, for a pop band at least," he joked.

"Rock Band Knight," Rainbow narrowed her eyes.

"Playing one guitar solo doesn't qualify you as a rock band Rainbow," Casey replied. "And great job on that tambourine Fluttershy," Casey winked at his friend who smiled weakly in return.

"Aren't you coming Casey?" Fluttershy asked as the rest of the Rainbooms exited the stage.

"I'm goin' a different way so I don't have to cross the gym," Casey lied. Fluttershy nodded and jogged to catch up with her friends. Then, Casey turned in time to see his band all decked out in their band outfits with all their instruments ready. Scootaloo rolled her drum kit onto the stage and locked the wheels in place. Her drums were a maroon color and the huge bass drum indeed had the band logo plastered on front.

"Just beautiful Vinyl," Casey shared one last kiss with his girlfriend as he strapped on his blue Gibson Les Paul guitar with red flames on the front. Vinyl had set up her keyboard and sound mixer next to Scootaloo while Sweetie Belle strapped on her white bass guitar with black musical notes painted on and stood on stage right. Casey took stage middle with a headset microphone tucked into his right ear. And lastly, Applebloom strapped on her brown and red V-neck Fender Strat that had apples painted on the front.

"Okay Gordy, kill the lights and open the curtain," Vinyl radioed to the janitor. Gordy killed the lights to the gym, causing some people to shriek for a brief moment and pushed the button to open the curtain. The blue curtain opened and Gordy hit a light button which shown only two dim white lights, briefly showing off the silhouettes on stage.

"And the next band to perform is: Animal Instinct!" Luna announced.

"Who the heck is that?" Pinkie Pie questioned. Then suddenly, a loud shout from on stage silenced everything in the gym as the lead silhouette stepped into the light.

"_ALL ABOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRDDD! HAHAHAHAH!" _The laugh echoed throughout the gym, scaring some of the students. Then, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hit the drums and strummed the bass in perfect synchronization, causing some of the lights to blink whenever they did, though they never did fully reveal who was on stage. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo paused for a second when Casey shouted, _"Aye,"_ which also echoed throughout the gym. Suddenly, both he and Applebloom screeched on their guitars as the lights on stage all lit up and all five members of the band played their instruments with intensity.

Casey and Applebloom jumped up when the lights switched on and landed closer to each other. They bounced up and down on their knees as they stuck their guitars close to each other and played the same guitar intro, moving their guitars back and forth in sync. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle continued to play their in sync parts as Casey and Applebloom continued their guitar riff and Vinyl played her keyboard.

"Applebloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo!" Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow all shouted at the same time.

"Ah told ya they was lyin'!" Applejack exclaimed.

"What is my poor little sister wearing!?" Rarity demanded in anger, "she looks like a criminal!" Rarity whined at Sweetie Belle's costume, face paint and big hair. "And she's playing the BASS?! How could she play such a barbaric instrument?" Applejack glared at her friend. Finally, Casey and Applebloom broke apart and jumped back to their original places where Casey started singing.

_Crazy, but that's how it goes_  
_Millions of people living as foes_  
_Maybe. it's not too late_  
_To learn how to love, and forget how to hate_

Celestia, Adagio, Aria, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Sunset, Spike and Applejack all dropped their jaws at the awesome display of rock 'n roll before them. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie, Sonata and Luna were all head banging to the rhythm of the song.

_Mental wounds not healing_  
_Life's a bitter shame_

Before singing the next part of the verse, Casey ran his way over to Sweetie Belle where she was playing the bass and leaned his head next to hers to sing into her mic at the same time everyone else in the band did.

_I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train_

Casey and Applebloom both did a mini guitar solo before Caesy repeated the same lyrics as before into Sweetie Belle's mic.

_I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train_

_I've listened to preachers,_  
_I've listened to fools_

While Vinyl and Scootaloo were forced to stay in one spot the whole time, Casey, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom began to casually walk around the stage as they played their instruments.

_I've watched all the dropouts_  
_Who make their own rules_

Casey stood on the ball of his right foot and spun around a few times and continued to sing and strum his guitar.

_One person conditioned to rule and control_  
_The media sells it and you live the role_

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom stood back to back and continued to play on center stage while Casey jogged his way to Scootaloo's drum kit and halted right next to her. He ceased playing to let Applebloom get a little more attention while Scootaloo was going nuts on her drums.

_Mental wounds still screaming_  
_Driving me insane_

Once again, the lead singer of Animal Instinct leaned down next to a band member so they both could sing the verse into one mic while everyone sang the exact same line.

_I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train_

Casey performed an extended version of the first mini guitar solo, except without Applebloom this time; she was still a little rusty, so she agreed to let Casey do the guitar solos for the time being.

_I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train_

Casey then leapt off the little platform that Scootaloo was sitting on and jogged up to center stage where Sweetie Belle and Applebloom parted ways so he could stand in between them and he could do the main guitar solo for the song.

"No, way," Rainbow said, the loud music nearly drowning her out, "if we were allowed to go all out, _I'd_ destroy his guitar solo," Rainbow seethed with jealousy.

"This is totally barbaric and inhumane!" Rarity covered her ears.

_I know that things are going wrong for me_  
_You gotta listen to my words, yeah, yeah_

Suddenly, Casey's fingers burst into the guitar solo as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom backed up into him with Sweetie Belle on his left facing the left side of the gym and Applebloom standing on his right facing the right side of the gym. Casey performed his guitar solo while Sweetie did her own little bass solo and Applebloom continued to play the regular guitar riff from the opening and Scootaloo still drummed as fast as she could, hitting the cymbals more often than the actual drums to keep in tune with her bandmates and Vinyl rigged the guitars to echo.

Casey had sweat firing off his body as he swayed around, allowing the guitar solo to take control of his body and he swung his guitar around, but expertly avoiding smacking either of the girls on his side. As the solo ended, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both burst away from the lead singer as he picked up the lyrics.

"I don't remember this band signing up," Adagio gritted her jaws together, "are they under our spell?"

"How should I know?" Aria replied, "you're the leader," she painfully reminded.

"Ugh, it doesn't matter, we'll get this band alone with us and get them under our control like the rest of the bands. It shouldn't be too hard, look how gullible the lead singer is," Adagio commented as Casey took to the front of the stage again. "Sonata, SONATA!" Adagio screamed at her ditzy friend, trying to let her in on the plan, but the blue haired girl was too busy banging her head and raising her hands in the air at the music.

_Heirs of a cold war,_  
_that's what we've become_  
_Inheriting troubles,_  
_I'm mentally numb_

Casey leaned down over the edge of the stage, giving a cold and hard stare to the principals.

_Crazy, I just cannot bear_  
_I'm living with something that just isn't fair_

The Brit got up from leaning and ran back to his girlfriend on her keyboard as they prepared to sing the final verse of the song.

_Mental wounds not healing_  
_Who and what's to blame_

Casey surprised Vinyl with a hard, yet passionate kiss as Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took over singing the final verse of their song.

_I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train_  
_I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train_

All five members of the band slowly started to die down on their playing until the only thing left was the final echo of Casey and Applebloom's guitars. The band was met with silence at first as sweat was pouring from their bodies. Then, three distinct cheers erupted from the audience.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Pinkie Pie shrieked from her seat, sending her drum sticks flying in the air. The rest of the Rainbooms were flabbergasted, having no idea what Casey and Vinyl had put together.

"WHOO-HOO! THAT GOT MY BLOOD PUMPING!" Sonata cheered. She was soon silenced by Aria and Adagio.

"LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR ANIMAL INSTINCT STUDENTS!" Vice Principal Luna shouted into the microphone her sister was holding and cheered into it. Finally, the students began to clap and cheer for the band, albeit still under the sirens' spell.

"No showing favoritism Luna," Celestia grabbed the microphone back from Luna. "Okay, that was Animal Instinct with an interesting audition, thank you kids," Celestia did her normal routine as she marked down the score for the band as Luna marked down a ten in huge numbers.

Meanwhile, Animal Instinct got off the stage with their equipment, completely jubilant and energized from their performance. "I am SO proud of all of you!" Casey hugged them all, "Applebloom, you were _flawless_ on your guitar!" The southern girl blushed and looked away.

"Th-thanks, Ah'm afraid Ah messed up thu first guitar solo Casey," she replied.

"Are you insane AB? You rocked it out there with Casey!" Scootaloo patted her on the back.

"And Sweetie Belle, I think you could be the next Paul McCartney," Vinyl complimented.

"Really? I had a blast out there, although my fingers are kind of numb now," she held up her fingers that were red.

"Eh don't worry about it, all good Bass players start out with numb fingers Sweetie," Casey assured her before turning to Scootaloo, "and how could we forget the best drummer in school huh? You weren't kidding when you said your drumming was awesome Scootaloo, I think you could go against Alex Van Halen or Rick Allen in a contest with a little more practice!"

"You really think so?! Sweet!" Scootaloo gripped her drumsticks hard. The band strolled out into the gym were every band was glaring daggers at _them_ now. "Woah, looks like we got some jealous rivals Casey," the drummer pointed out.

"And here comes your sisters," Vinyl added. The Rainbooms marched over to Animal Instinct with Rarity and Applejack leading the group, stopping right in front of Casey and Vinyl Scratch.

"Ah, Rainboom, did you come by to-" Casey started before Rarity reared her hand back and slapped him hard across the face. "AH FUCK!" Casey exclaimed as he caught himself and held his cheek.

"HEY, DON'T YOU SLAP HIM!" Vinyl got in between Casey and Rarity.

"How dare you kidnap my poor little sister and force her to play this completely uncivilized and graceless music," Rarity said to Casey, "Sweetie Belle, come with me and we'll get that nasty gunk off your face, you will not be playing with these ruffians any longer," Rarity reached for Sweetie Belle's hand.

"NO! Leave Casey alone!" Sweetie Belle shouted back, causing Rarity to freeze. "_We_ joined _them_ willingly, they didn't force us and they certainly didn't kidnap us!" She narrowed her eyes.

"But y'all still lied ta us, 'n that can't go unpunished," Applejack put her hands on her hips, staring at Applebloom.

"For once, Applejack is right about something," Rainbow chimed in, "you lied to us about signing up and that's _not_ cool. Now you all go tell Celestia and Luna that you're pulling out of the competition," Rainbow ordered.

"Are you crazy? We're not leaving with our tails between our legs," Casey finally spoke up, "and besides they didn't lie. They only said _they_ weren't signing up because _I_ signed us up," Casey angrily explained, "so, we're staying and you're going to deal with it." He concluded. "Come on girls, let's go get a soda," Casey gathered up Vinyl and the three others followed suit.

"Fine, jest you wait till we get home young lady!" Applejack shouted to Applebloom.

"Do you think they'll make it far?" Sunset asked.

"They got lucky in the auditions, but that's it, I can guarantee their music is too out of touch with today's music; they won't make it past round one, guaranteed," Rainbow replied. "Now come on, let's get working on that counter-spell Twilight."

* * *

**(Outside in the halls) **

With Gordy's help, Animal Instinct unlocked the soda machine and each took a soda. All five pop tops went off at the same time as every member took long drinks to cool down. "I'm sorry about getting you guys in trouble," Casey apologized.

"It's no big deal, once we explain to our parents the whole situation, they'll let us off the hook," Sweetie Belle replied and downed another huge gulp of her soda.

"'O course, since you've come over a few times to help with homework, Ah don't think Granny Smith or Big Mac will mind so much," Applebloom added.

"And my parents probably will look the other way since Rainbow isn't always truthful with them," Scootaloo concluded. Suddenly, the doors to the gym opened up and The Rainbooms all briskly walked out with Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow shooting looks at Animal Instinct.

"Hey ladies, care for a drink?" Casey offered. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie paused briefly as Gordy tossed the two girls cans of soda before closing up the vending machine. The band was about to resume their chat when they heard a commotion coming from the other hallway where the Rainbooms had just entered. Casey and Scootaloo jogged their way to the corner before stopping and poking their heads around the corner.

"Why are you acting like this Flash?" Twilight asked, "I thought we were friends," she said sadly, sounding like she was about to cry. Flash took in a deep breath before whirling around to face Twilight.

"Yeah! And then you just randomly show up so you could beat me in the Battle of the Bands, some friend you are!" He yelled.

"I _never_ liked that guy," Scootaloo whispered.

"I _want_ this Twilight, more than anyone," Flash added.

"That's a bloody lie," Casey furrowed his eyebrows.

"But that's not-" Twilight started before Applejack grabbed her shoulder.

"Come on Twi, we've got important matters to deal with," The Rainbooms escorted Twilight away from Flash and his band.

"Do you really think you can help them? I bet you don't have a friggin' clue what you're doing!" Flash mocked. Even though they were behind Twilight, Casey and Scootaloo both saw her reach up with her hand and wipe the front of her face.

"Vinyl, get over here!" Casey whispered to his girlfriend. Meanwhile, The Dazzlings were in a different hallway as they watched from an empty classroom The Rainbooms hustle by. They didn't notice Casey and Vinyl grab Flash Sentry and yank him into a closet while Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom kick the shins of Flash's bandmates.

"Ugh, how could that band not be under our spell?" Adagio paced around, thinking.

"I don't remember them ever showing up at either the lunch room or the party for the bands," Aria replied.

"Duh, they were totally at the party! I winked at the cute British guy," Sonata sighed dreamily.

"And you didn't bother to tell us!?" Adagio demanded, "we needed to know that so we could've gotten them under our spell sooner, but you just had to talk about fruit punch!" She got into Sonata's face.

"Hey, that fruit punch was worthy of being talked about!" Sonata countered.

"Look Adagio, does it even matter if they're under our spell or not? I know you're the leader, but all we need to do is get stronger to take the magic away from The Rainblossoms or whatever, it doesn't matter how far Animal Insensitive makes it; besides they won't even win," Aria explained.

"What makes you say that?" Sonata questioned.

"Please, they sound _way_ too 80's-ish, that music will only buy them the audition and maybe the first round," Aria replied. Adagio rubbed her chin, contemplating what Aria had told her.

"I can't believe this, but maybe you're right Aria, so we missed one band, that won't stop us. By this time next week, our power will be fully restored and no one will stand in our way," she grinned at her reflection in the window of the door. The loud speaker for the school crackled on, silencing the Dazzlings.

"_Attention students, the auditions are over and the only band not to qualify are Snips and Snails. Congratulations to the 16 bands that made it to Round 1,"_ Celestia announced.

_"Take the weekend to practice your Round 1 songs, __remember, we can only have one winner, students,"_ Luna added and shut off the intercom. Suddenly, the dark green aura seeped into the room and into the red amulets on the sirens' necks.

"Ah, power never felt better than before girls," Adagio breathed in deeply. All three of them opened their eyes which glowed a faint red.

**End Chapter 3**

* * *

_What do you guys think of the new bracket system? I think it's better to be honest. _

_I do not own Snips and Snails' rap (THANK GOD)_

_I do not own Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne._

_So, now that Animal Instinct has shown up, how different will the story turn out? Do you guys think Rock is truly dead, or do you think the torch has been passed to Casey and Animal Instinct? Should the Dazzlings be worried?_


	4. Chapter 4: Fate of the Sisters

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 4: Fate of the Sisters**

_So if you ask me why I like the way I play, there's only one thing I can say to you: I WANNA ROCK!- Twisted Sister, I Wanna Rock, Stay Hungry, 1984._

**LinkonPark100:** _Rock 'N Roll will NEVER die! The torch always lives on._

**Stumbledore: **_AC/DC huh? Well, can't be a rock 'n roll story without some good Australian rock!_

**SwifterShifter:**_Well, you'll see what happens._

**Wolfdragon:** _I wanted an intense and epic song for them to open with and Crazy Train has always been an epic song at my local hockey rink._

**Dixie Darlin: **_They're idiots and assholes, and that can be a dangerous combination or a hilarious one. _

**HazeHero: **_Thank you. I've always loved Rock 'N Roll and hated how fucking auto tuners and rappers have tried to terminate Rock, but I won't stand for it. We as fans have to rise up and continue to __buy and listen to classic Rock Bands so the flame will live on and future rockers will rise up to the challenge!_

_Okay guys, sorry to disappoint some of you, but there will be no Round 1 performance this chapter, NEXT chapter I promise. In Chapter 4, The Crusaders all deal with their sisters on how they 'lied' which they really didn't. And when the law is laid down from AJ, Rainbow and Rarity, Casey and Vinyl'll have a few words for them._

* * *

**(Morning After. 3rd Person POV.)**

Casey splashed some water on his face from the sink in his bathroom. Having just gotten out of the shower, the musician was just preparing to start his Saturday of helping Vinyl out at her music shop while having Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom practice their respective parts on Animal Instinct's first round song. Even though the Brit knew the girls had talent, he feared their sisters would get in the way. His phone that was currently playing _Another One Bites The Dust_ by Queen ceased the song as a text message displayed over the screen.

From Vinyl: _Opening up shop soon, come by when you can. PS, could you please bring me a Cherry Red Amp? ;)_

Casey chuckled and his girlfriend's text and quickly punched in his reply that he'd be there ASAP and he'd stop by 24/7 to get her her requested energy drink. Drying off his face, Casey threw on a fresh Dark Side of the Moon T-Shirt and exited his bathroom with his phone. "About time there son, your mum and I have to be at the Airport in 45 minutes," he scolded Casey.

"Sorry pop," Casey said from the other side of the door, "Vinyl was texting me," he explained. On the way to his room to grab his wallet, Casey bumped into his mom. "Sorry mum," Casey apologized.

"Oh it's alright Casey, this is just so frantic; I hate traveling," his mom sighed and rubbed her head. "Anyway, you never told me last night, how was your audition with your band?" she rolled her suitcase into the living room.

"Went fantastic," Casey stuffed his wallet into his rear pocket, "I think we had the best audition out of the bunch, though some other bands were fairly decent," Casey replied.

"And did Fluttershy and her band audition as well?" Casey's mom zipped up the rest of her suitcase. Casey sighed and scratched the brim of his jet black hair.

"Yeah, but some punks thought it'd be funny to sabotage their audition; luckily her and her band made it through," he said.

"How awful, some people just make my blood boil," she pounded her fist on top of her luggage.

"Well anyways mum, I've got ta help Vinyl out at her music shop today and practice with the band," Casey wrapped his arms around his mom's torso.

"Your father and I will see you next week, I just wish you could come and see your aunt Elizabeth with us."

"I do too mum, but I've got ta keep my grades up with the end of the semester closing in on us," he explained.

"And I do like Vinyl Casey, she's a sweet girl," his mom winked.

"I know mum, I love ya," Casey hugged her as he left the house and walked up to his 1982 Ponitac Trans-Am. Casey started up his car and drove off to the store to get Vinyl her energy drink before helping her out.

* * *

**(At Sugar Cube Corner. Scootaloo's POV)**

"Hey Pinkie, six hot chocolates," my sister Rainbow Dash called to her friend Pinkie Pie.

"Make that five hot chocolates and one chai tea!" Rarity corrected for Rainbow.

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" The pink skinned and overly hyper girl called and began to prepare the order for us. This was torture for me and my two friends Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. The fun we had yesterday with Casey and Vinyl at the auditions was over, and now our older sisters were pretty pissed at us, for no damned good reason I might add. If anything, Applebloom had it worse, being the sister of the girl who could spot a lie blind-folded from a mile away. Our sisters sat across from us while we sat next to each other with Applebloom in the middle. Sweetie Belle offered her hand to Applebloom and squeezed it gently.

"So, what's with the hot chocolate?" I finally asked when Pinkie Pie brought all of our drinks by, "are you trying to make us feel better? Trying to butter us up so when you punish us, we won't feel as bad?" I narrowed my eyes at my sister.

"We aren't happy that you lied to us Scoots," Rainbow Dash replied after sipping some of her hot chocolate with whipped cream leaving a mustache on her upper lip.

"Mmhmm, precisely," Rarity agreed after stirring her tea packet into her hot water, "and to think of all that gunk you all had caked onto your face and those ridiculous costumes!" She berated, "if you had walked out of the school wearing those, I wouldn't have been surprised if the police had arrested you three for looking like criminals!" She added. Sweetie Belle and I glared at the three older girls sitting across from us while Applebloom kept her eyes shut, trying to keep tears from slipping out. Her hot chocolate had already begun to dissolve her whipped cream, but she didn't care; why should she?

"'N not only that," Applejack chimed in, "ya continued to add more lies, what with the '_We're here ta support ya,_' gimmick," Applejack mocked, "it's jest despicable. We've got enough ta worry about without you three spoutin' off fibs every time ya talk to us," she glared at Applebloom.

"Seriously, what do you guys care?" Sweetie Belle piped up, "so what if we're in a band with Casey? Is that a problem for you guys?" She crossed her arms. Rainbow was about to answer when I cut in.

"Yeah, do you guys not like Casey? He helps us with homework and he got Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to leave us alone!" I countered.

"Keep the volume down Scootaloo," Rainbow bore her eyes into mine.

"You watch how you speak to me young lady," Rarity wagged her finger at Sweetie Belle's face. I never expected Sweetie Belle to do what she did next: she raised her hand and slapped away Rarity's finger. All three of our sisters were flabbergasted at Sweetie's reaction, me too, though Applebloom still was trying to fight back her tears. "_Sweetie Belle! What is your problem?!_" Rarity silently shouted.

"I'm tired of your attitude towards me Rarity," Sweetie Belle replied, "at first, you didn't give a crap about me enough to try and help me with my part in the Crusader's band, and now that I am apart of a band, you want to take it away from me just because you didn't like how we started it? Talk about being selfish!" Sweetie got into Rarity's face. Rarity gasped, dropping her spoon onto the table.

"How could you say that Sweetie Belle?" Rarity demanded.

"Well you wanted us to stop 'lying'," Sweetie air-quoted, "so we gave you what you wanted: The Truth, doesn't it hurt!?" Sweetie exclaimed. Rarity harumphed and looked away from her little sister.

"Applebloom," Applejack broke the tense silence that appeared after Sweetie Belle told off Rarity, "Ah think a good groundin' is suitable fer what ya did: No playin' the guitar with Casey from here on out, 'N no hangin' with yer friends fer two weeks, got it?" Applejack sipped the rest of her hot chocolate. Sweetie and I looked down at Applebloom who _still_ hadn't raised her head once while we were in here. Her whipped cream was now completely gone, leaving a few white swirls in her drink. "Hey, you look at me when Ah'm talkin' to ya little missy," Applejack growled.

"_We didn't lie,"_ Applebloom whispered quietly, though only Sweetie Belle and I could hear her. A single tear slipped down her yellow cheek.

"Speak up, what did you say?" Applejack adjusted her cowgirl hat. Applebloom sucked in a deep breath and wiped the tear from her cheek. She opened her mouth to show clenched teeth. _'Oh crap,'_ I mentally thought and braced myself.

_**"WE DIDN'T LIE! CAN'T YOU GET THAT THROUGH YER THICK SKULL!?" **_Applebloom shouted so loudly that every patron in the dessert shop immediately ceased what they were doing and stared at our table. Pinkie Pie dropped a pair of tongs she was using, Derpy had bits of muffin fall out of her mouth, Mr. Cake froze in place while helping a customer and Mrs. Cake just stood at an empty table with a wet cloth on the table surface.

"Applebloom," Applejack warned.

"NO! Ah'm so sick 'n tired 'o you treatin' me like a criminal fer lyin' when we didn't lie! We only said _we _weren't signin' up, you never asked us if someone else was signin' up fer us!" Applebloom repeated what we had tried to tell them yesterday. Sweetie and I finished up our hot chocolate's nervous about how Applejack was going to react. Applebloom was 100% right, but raising her voice at her sister was probably going to hurt. After what seemed like an eternity plus one, the patrons of the dessert shop went back to their normal routine.

"Be that as it may Applebloom, we don't like the music yer playin' with Casey 'N Vinyl, no disrespect to either," she quickly added.

"What's wrong with the music we're playing!?" Sweetie Belle demanded.

"Rock 'N Roll leads to heavy drinking and drug abuse; we don't want our darling little sisters to go down that path," Rarity cleaned off her spoon. Sweetie Belle then motioned for Applebloom and I to move, which we did. Once she got out of the booth, Sweetie Belle leaned her hands on the table and growled at Rarity.

"That's such a stereotype! Casey and Vinyl haven't shown any signs of doing drugs or drinking alcohol!" Sweetie countered.

"It's not them kid, it's the music, it'll eventually drive you to do stupid shit," Rainbow explained.

"Give me a break Rainbow!" I balled up a napkin and tossed it at her, "_you_ constantly claim The Rainbooms are a rock band, so are you saying that _you'll_ eventually start a drinking problem or a drug problem?" I poked at the hole in her theory. My sister stammered a few times before slamming her fists onto the table.

"We're done here," Rainbow threw down some money for Pinkie Pie to take, "you three aren't playing with Casey and Vinyl anymore and that's that!" Rainbow yelled at me.

"There's sumthin' else goin' on here; we'll find out what it is!" Applebloom threatened.

"Don't think yer outta the woods Applebloom, you don't raise yer voice to me, especially in a public place," Applejack grasped Applebloom's wrist tightly. Rarity held the door open for us as we all walked out with our hands in our hoodie pockets.

"Alright, we needed to go and get some spare guitar and bass strings anyways," Rainbow began as we walked down the street, "you can tell Vinyl that you're quitting the band," she ordered us.

"You should be thanking us too, what kind of dumb and childish name is Animal Instinct anyways?" Rarity fluffed her hair.

"At least our name doesn't make us sound like a bunch of lesbians," Sweetie Belle replied angrily. I mentally high-fived her for that one.

* * *

**(Vinyl's Music Shop. Casey's POV)**

"Thanks again for the Amp babe," Vinyl called to me as she threw her empty can into the trash and I was straightening up guitar displays and double-checking prices. Van Halen's _Panama _was currently playing over the store's sound system. Vinyl was busy matching inventory and repairing a pair of headphones when the rest of our band showed up with their sisters in tow.

"Hey, how's it going girls?" I asked with a grin, putting down the guitar I was looking over. "What's wrong?" I noticed the upset/angry faces molded onto Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom's faces. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow ignored me and marched right up to Vinyl's counter. She set down the pair of headphones she was repairing and paused the song.

"What can I get for you guys? New straps for your instruments?" Vinyl questioned.

"Nope, Ah jest need some extra bass strings," Applejack pointed to the box she wanted.

"And I could use a spare box of guitar strings, they do tend to break from my awesome fingering!" Rainbow bragged, causing Rarity and Applejack to roll their eyes. I turned back to the Crusaders who were sitting on the floor or leaning against a display.

"It's just not fair," Scootaloo kicked the ground.

"Oh boy, what happened?" I grunted and stood up, dusting off my hands.

"Our sisters say we can't play with you and Vinyl anymore," Sweetie Belle angrily replied, not even looking in my direction. My head snapped up to look at the trio of older sisters talking to Vinyl as if everything was a-ok.

"Well, why the hell not?" I asked and kneeled back down to Applebloom's level.

"Because they said if we play in a rock 'n roll band like yours we'll develop drug and alcohol addictions," Applebloom pounded one of the bass drums with her fist. "I know it's a buncha crap Casey, but I think sumthin' else is goin' on; they've never been this determined ta keep us from somethin'," she added. That blew a fuse in my head. Jumping up to my feet, I stomped my way over to the front counter with the Crusaders in hot pursuit, curious as to what was going to go down.

"Casey I didn't know you were here," Rarity exclaimed when I practically bulldozed my way to the front of the group.

"Ah'm sure our sisters told ya the bad news," Applejack leaned against the counter and looked over at her sister and her friends.

"Just who the hell do you think you are judging me based on the music I play huh?!" I shouted.

"What are you-" Rainbow started before I cut her off.

"Just because I play in a rock 'n roll band means I'm gonna turn your sisters into drunken drug users huh? Have you ever seen me with a bottle of alcohol or a bag of cocaine, ever?!" I demanded.

"Casey, what are you guys talking about?" Vinyl asked me.

"Our sisters claim you and Casey are gonna turn us into addicts if we play with you guys anymore," Scootaloo replied. Vinyl sat in her stool, frozen as she took in the information. Slowly, she reached up and took off her electric purple shades and set them gently on the counter. Her sweet and gentle magenta eyes were now filled with anger, hatred and possibly betrayal.

"Are you freaking serious?" Vinyl said in a growl. Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack nodded slowly in response.

"How would _you_ like it if I out loud said that playing in your shitty pop band would make you all gay?" I pointed my finger in Rainbow's face, "Except for Fluttershy of course, at least she's a friend and doesn't spout out bullshit," I quickly added.

"I think you should all leave now," Vinyl opened the door.

"Now hold on there Vinyl," I stopped her, "we just need to fix the problem, that's all," I shut the door. I was doing my damnedest to keep my cool, but this was hard with the assumptions that were brought upon me and my girlfriend. "Rarity, you love fashion and creating new designs right?"

"Yes, but what does that-" I interrupted.

"What if your mum and dad suddenly burst into your room and took away everything you had worked on? All your hard work just because they didn't think it was for you? Huh? I bet you wouldn't like that would you?" Rarity looked down and clenched the bottom of her skirt in both hands. "And you Rainbow, what if your mother forced you to quit every team in school because she thought it was too dangerous and put you in a ballerina class? That would _kill_ you inside wouldn't it?"

Rainbow opened her mouth, but shut it when she didn't have an argument to stand on. Finally, I turned to probably the thickest skulled girl in the whole school.

"And Applejack, the hard working farm girl," I started.

"You ain't gonna guilt me outta this Casey," she warned.

"Oh, we'll see. Picture your farm, you and Big Mac working hard in the fields all day after school and Granny Smith working inside the barn while Applebloom cleans up the animal pens and inside the house," I paced around her, "what if one day, the county decided they didn't care for your apples anymore and decided to bulldoze your farm to put up a strip mall? That'd piss you off wouldn't it?" I whispered in her ear. She shuddered and sweated at the thought, but kept her composure. "Just imagine, all your hard work you've put in for nearly twenty years, over twenty for Big Mac, but over sixty for Granny Smith, _all _gone, for a McDonalds and a fucking Starbucks," I stepped back from Applejack who was now twitching.

"What're you on about Knight?" Rainbow asked me.

"The point I'm getting at is all those things I mentioned, you're all insanely good at, and your sisters have potential to be fantastic musicians in a rock band; why on Earth would you want to take that away from them? Sure they're new at it, but I know they're young and they've got their whole lives to perfect their talents and they could go on and be the best rock band in the world next to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin!" I exclaimed. "And during their music careers, they could still branch out and pursue other talents! Rick Allen has been an artist for years while playing the drums," I explained.

"We want what's best for our little sisters," Rarity replied.

"And Casey and I can help them become great, and they could quit music later on, but still use life experiences to pursue other dreams, or they could quit our band and form their own with what they've learned," Vinyl chimed in from behind the counter.

"Exactly, I'm not upset that you're trying to take away our bandmates, I'm upset you're trying to to take away a potential future from your sisters," Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom stood in front of me with sad faces. Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack huddled together and talked amongst themselves for a good few minutes while Vinyl, myself and the Crusaders stood waiting.

"Oh, fine," Applejack said as the huddle broke up. "Ya can keep playin' in Casey 'N Vinyl's band, but," AJ stopped short as Rarity took over.

"Cut down on the swearing in front of them please," the posh girl asked, "a proper young woman cannot be cursing like a NASCAR driver."

"And if we see one shred of evidence that our sisters are doing drugs or drinking, we're gonna kick your ass and call the cops, got it?" Rainbow stuck her finger on the tip of my nose.

"You can trust us," Vinyl put her sunglasses back on her face.

"Oh and, keep the peace between ya," Applejack opened the door to the shop, "don't be negative with each other," she warned and left the shop, leaving our whole band together.

"What the bloody heck does she mean by that?" I asked. Scootaloo shrugged and hopped onto the chair behind the set of drums inside the shop.

"So, when are we practicing our next song?" Sweetie Belle asked and picked up a bass off the shelf.

"We're free the rest of the weekend," Applebloom grabbed a guitar and strapped it on. Vinyl and I smirked before getting back to work.

"We can practice when it's closing time," Vinyl said when she hit PLAY on the music system, resuming Van Halen. Scootaloo then whispered something to Sweetie Belle and the purple and pink haired girl smiled. Sweetie Belle then reached into her pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to me. I opened it up only to find song lyrics and notes for the bass, guitar, keyboard, drums and a second guitar.

"What's this?" I asked.

"I wrote my own rock song a few weeks ago, I was hoping maybe we can play this next?" She crossed her fingers.

"Sweetie Belle, this is, this is AWESOME!" I looked over the song. In the right hands, this song had _great_ potential to be a wild and crazy experience to play and listen to.

"You really think so?" She said with hope.

"Of course, this is stuff that only the best rock bands could come up with, but Vinyl and I have already picked the song we'll play for Round 1," I said and handed back the sheet music.

"Oh, I understand," Sweetie Belle hung her head low.

"But, we'll start practicing this the minute we advance to Round 2!" I exclaimed. Sweetie Belle smiled again and hugged me.

"You mean if babe, you don't know how Luna and Celestia'll like our next song," Vinyl corrected.

"Please Vinyl, with our band, we're rock the hell outta the school!" Applebloom played a little guitar riff on the guitar she picked up from the shelf. I heard the distinct sound of a string breaking and snapped my head back to her. She blushed in embarrassment and put the instrument back on the shelf, whistling innocently.

* * *

**(Outside the Shop. 3rd person)**

"Do you feel that girls, it's not much, but it's negative energy," Adagio breathed in the negative energy that seeped out of Vinyl Scratch's music shop. "All we need to do is keep the tensions close between the sisters," she grinned as Applebloom broke a string on a guitar.

"Yeah, but how will we do that Adagio?" Sonata raised her hand, "all three pairs of sisters are in a different band, how are we going to keep them together long enough for there to be conflict?" She flicked her ponytail. Aria face palmed and Adagio shook her head.

"They're sisters Sonata, they're bound to be home together at some point!" Aria scolded.

"If we can get the entire list of bands against the Rainbooms, pitting sister against sister will be a breeze," Adagio took a final look inside Vinyl's shop before leading Aria and Sonata down the street.

**End Chapter 4**

* * *

_Do you guys think The Rainbooms will tell Animal Instinct the truth, or do you think they'll keep it a secret to keep them safe? Will the Dazzlings succeed in pitting sister against sister for more negative energy to make their powers grow stronger? _


	5. Chapter 5: The Challenger Round

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 5: Challenger Round**

**Haze Hero: **_No not really. They were just using stereotypes as proof and facts to rip their sisters from Animal Instinct. For the record I think Snoop Dogg is actually pretty cool, though that may be because of the Pepsi Max ads he did a few years back. If you love some classic Rock 'N Roll, you'll like this chapter. _

**Swifter Shifter: **_Thanks. And firstly, Casey was the only band member of Animal Instinct to enter the lunchroom while the Dazzlings were singing their Battle song. And the reason why he didn't fall under the spell will be explained later. _

**Linkonpark100: **_That they are._

**yorkmanic89: **_Sweet, hope to see it soon. And we're all bronies and pegasisters here, no judging going on. _

**StumbleDore:** _Yep._

**Guest (1): **_Thank you._

**Wolfdragon: **_Well I was thinking more along the lines of Ozzy Osbourne with the drugs part and Steve Clark with the alcohol part. Drugs have destroyed so much of Ozzy's motor functions and Alcohol killed Steve Clark 24 years ago. _

**Dixie** **Darlin: **_For assuming their sisters would become alcoholic druggies? Yes overreacting would be about the correct guess. As for the villain's part, this is an alternate __fix and I'm assuming that the Dazzlings can feed off any negative energy as long as they're close enough and it's concentrated enough like a full blown argument instead of someone getting upset over spilt milk. _

**Guest (2):** _Thank you for the suggestion but the setlist is complete. _

_Okay guys, I really want to thank everyone who sent in their favorite songs that they wanted Animal Instinct to sing, even though I didn't ask for it, I still feel so appreciated and happy that you guys cared enough to send in suggestions. However, the suggestion box is closed and inside my office. I can't take any more song ideas or suggestions since I've got the setlist all down in order on my phone. I spent HOURS listening and re-listening to certain songs to make sure they were the right ones for the story. I'm sorry if your favorite song didn't appear, but don't worry, I'll have a little special something setup for that._

_For this Chapter, round 1 is upon the 16 Bands in Battle. Round 1 A.K.A the Challenger Round is starting, which eight bands will make the cut to the Contender Round and which eight will be sent home crying to their mommas? This, is the Canterlot High Battle of the Bands._

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN UNDER OUR SPELL. That goes to the brilliance of Mr. Daniel Ingram who is I believe on the talent levels of Henry Jackman (Wreck-It Ralph and Captain America: The Winter Soldier scorer) and John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws etc.). I also do not own the song that Animal Instinct sings._**

* * *

**(Canterlot High Gymnasium. 3rd Person POV)**

The school gymnasium was filled with excited and grumbling chatter. Members of all 16 qualified bands were sitting idly by in the bleachers while Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna had yet to show up. Again, the Dazzlings were sitting by themselves on the top row in a little corner of the bleachers, inwardly chuckling while sucking in as much negative energy as was being expelled from the bands. "Man, this is so whack yo!" Snips complained and crossed his arms angrily.

"Word dawg!" Snails crossed his hands like a rapper.

"For the love of God, shut up!" Casey rubbed his temples, trying to ignore the two morons speaking like rappers. The Brit groaned and leaned back into his seat on the bleachers and breathed in deeply through his nose. "I swear, if Pepsi won't kill me, those two will," he added. Vinyl paused her music and rubbed Casey's shoulder lightly.

"It'll be okay Case," she called him by his nickname, "just be glad they're out and we won't have to hear them over a microphone again," she advised before patting his shoulder and switching her music back on. Casey moved his guitar over to stretch his arms and to see how the Crusaders were doing. The three girls were in their outfits for when it was their turn to go on stage; luckily their sisters didn't say a word about their outfits this time.

"Now, are you girls sure you don't have a problem with our song we chose?" Casey asked, "because I don't mind switching to another song if you aren't comfortable with the lyrics," he assured the girls. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom all exchanged smirks before looking back at the Brit.

"Please, I don't really care," Sweetie Belle straightened out her huge 80s wig, "it's a nice gesture to Vinyl," she smiled at the DJ that was busy adjusting the EQ settings on her phone.

"I've heard worse from Rainbow when she's watching her favorite Blue Angels pilot, Soarin' I think his call sign is," Scootaloo balanced one of her drumsticks on the tip of her index finger.

"It just plain rocks Casey," Applebloom tightened her skull bandana, "who cares if the principals get the double meanins, isn't that what rock is about? Expressin' yerself even though it might be a double entendre?" the farm girl asked. Casey didn't say anything in return; he just sniffled and wiped away a tear from his eye. The band's moment was interrupted when The Rainbooms sat down next to Animal Instinct.

"Hey Flutters," Casey gave a quick hug to his friend, "ladies, puppy," he greeted the other members, Sunset and Twilight's dog.

"Casey," Rarity replied back, "so Sweetie Belle, how were your practices these last two days?" Rarity sat down next to her little sister.

"Oh they were amazing Rarity!" the youngest of the Belle family happily squeaked, "Casey and Vinyl write some of the best songs and Casey's been teaching me about rhythm and technique!" she explained. Pinkie Pie let out a confused sigh.

"But I thought you played the guitar?!" She points towards Casey's face, "are you a cyborg? Or maybe an alien with an invisible set of arms?!" She pointed like the evil monkey from Family Guy. The singer and guitarist shoved Pinkie's finger out of his face before answering.

"No, guitarists can also play the bass if they've practiced the parts, and vice versa!" He exclaimed, "Rick Savage of Def Leppard played the guitar before switching to the bass when the band first formed," Casey explained. The drummer for the Rainbooms squinted her right eye and cocked her head sideways, studying Casey after he gave his explanation.

"Okey-dokey-lokey! Good luck in Round 1!" She cheerfully waved and sat back down next to Rainbow Dash. Finally, the gym doors burst open, introducing the two principals of the school. The entire student body went silent as their authoritative figures strolled in and sat down at the judging table with a pitcher of fresh water and new judging sheets. Looking over and past The Rainbooms, Casey gave a smart ass wink to Flash Sentry and his band whom all had angry glares on their faces from the surprise attack by Animal Instinct on Friday. But those weren't the only bands giving each other problems. Trixie and her goons were secretly giving the bird to Lyra and Bon Bon, Bulk Biceps flexed his muscles and growled at Derpy's band, the Eco Kids band crossed their arms and turned away from Octavia.

"Alright Students," Celestia and Luna momentarily appeared on stage, "today is known as the Challenger Round for the Battle of the Bands," the eldest sister announced, "the first of three rounds before we get to the finals, or the Championship round," she clicked a button on a remote and a huge TV screen appeared in front of the stage. Four brackets appeared, each decreasing in half with each new one. The first bracket had 16 slots, all with each name of all the bands that had qualified.

"The Challenger Round will have all 16 bands perform one song and then we decide which eight bands earn the right to move on to the second round, or the "Contender Round" if you will," Luna explained. The first bracket was highlighted bright blue, but then the second bracket was highlighted red with the words _Contender Round_ above the first slot of now eight empty spaces.

"After we complete the Challenger Round and have our final eight bands, the remaining eight will only have that night to practice for their song in the Contender Round," Celestia took back the microphone. The principal then clicked another button as the _Contender Round_ bracket went back to normal colors and the third bracket, named _The Eliminator Round, _was highlighted green.

"And then, the remaining eight will be reduced down to four once the Contender Round has finished and then we get to the Eliminator Round," Luna retook the mic. "The third and penultimate round will be the most intense. The remaining four bands will have to bring their best songs and best efforts to even think of making it to the Championship round which will be held in the outside amphitheater the same night as the Eliminator Round. The two best bands out of the final four will compete for the honors of being the best band in the school," Luna explained, "and who will that band be?" She asked, as if still intentionally causing trouble. As if on cue, every band, with the exception of the Dazzlings and Animal Instinct said, "Us."

"Rainbow, no need to be cocky," Rarity reminded the lead guitarist.

"So, any questions before we begin?" Celestia asked as Luna exited the stage and sat down at the judges table. Instantly, Scootaloo's hand shot up from behind where Casey was sitting, "Yes Scootaloo?" the principal happily asked.

"Why'd you steal the round names from the NASCAR Cup Series?" She questioned.

"No more questions, let us begin," Celestia quickly darted off stage and sat down next to her sister.

"Told ya," Scootaloo smirked and pocketed $5 from Sweetie Belle. The stage lights went up as the TV screen switched from showing the four brackets to only showing the _Challenger Round_ bracket with the order of the bands for the round.

_1) The Dazzlings_

_2) Slicers 'N' Dicers_

_3) The Flash Sentry Experience_

_4) The Eco Kids_

_5) Octavia_

_6) Candied Heartstrings (Lyra and Bon Bon)_

_7) Bulk Biceps_

_8) The Dark Horses (Derpy's Band)_

_9) Diamond Spoons_

_10) Comedy and Tragedy_

_11) Flashbulb City_

_12) Fifty-Below Zero_

_13) Atomic Mass_

_14) The Rainbooms_

_15) Trixie &amp; The Illusions_

_16) Animal Instinct_

"Okay, our first band for the Challenger Round: The Dazzlings," Vice Principal Luna announced. Backstage, Adagio, Aria and Sonata were all getting their respective microphones for their first round song.

"Just a reminder girls, don't give it all at once, remembers to save our best for last, even if we have three of the Rainbooms already beginning to feed us our well deserved negative energy," Adagio ordered. Sonata and Aria nodded in reply and adjusted their red gems.

"Let's rock!" Sonata squealed in excitement and took her place to the left of Adagio. The two other sirens gave her a face palm look before turning forward, waiting for the curtain to open.

"We don't rock Sonata," Aria pinched her nose, "rock is _so_ outdated, and even when it was new it sucked," she groaned.

"Be quiet you morons," Adagio bonked their heads together. The curtain finally rose up and the sirens raised their microphones and slowly walked up to the front of the stage, swinging their hips.

"Don't be getting any ideas Casey," Vinyl whispered into the Brit's ear. He playfully shoved her away from his ear.

"Please, they're nothin' special Vinyl," he replied. Bored, Casey tilted his head back so it was resting on the bleacher seat behind him. Scootaloo had a fist up supporting her chin, Sweetie Belle laid her head onto her left shoulder and rocked her body forward and backward while Applebloom drummed her fingers on her knee. The three crusaders had headphones on, all daisy-chained together with Vinyl's SamPhone 4.

_[The Dazzlings]_  
_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_You didn't know that you fell._  
_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Now that you're under our spell._  
_Blindsided by the beat._  
_Clapping your hands, stomping your feet._  
_You didn't know that you fell._

Celestia and Luna were set in a dream-like state as they watched the trio of girls sing and sway their hips. Most of the student body, save for the Rainbooms and Animal Instinct softly bobbed their heads back and forth, enjoying the gentle melodies coming from the Dazzlings.

_[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]_  
_Oh-whoa-oh-oh-oh._

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Now you've fallen under our spell._

_[Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze]_  
_Oh-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh._

Again, no one noticed the seeping green aura coming from the students that wormed its way to the three red gems on the Dazzlings' necklaces. Adagio breathed in deeply as she felt the new power and energy coursing through her veins. All three of the girls got a little bit of a power boost from the aura and kicked into the first chorus.

_[The Dazzlings]_  
_We've got the music, makes you move it._  
_Got the song that makes you lose it._  
_We say "jump", you say "how high?"_  
_Put your hands up to the sky._  
_We've got the music, makes you move it._  
_Got the song that makes you lose it._  
_We say "jump", you say "how high?"_  
_Put your hands up to the sky._

_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_You didn't know that you fell._  
_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_Now that you're under our spell._

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Listen to the sound of my voice._

"I wish I hadn't," Casey tapped his foot on the floor of the gym with his eyes closed and hands folded across his chest. He had no headphones on, but in his mind, he was listening to Motley Crue.

_[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]_  
_Oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh._

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Soon you'll find you don't have a choice._

_[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]_  
_Oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh._

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Captured in the web of my song._

_[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]_  
_Oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh._

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Soon you'll all be singing along._

"Not bloody likely," the Brit chuckled to himself. Meanwhile, Twilight, Fluttershy, Sunset, Pinkie Pie and Spike grew worried at how much every student seemed to be drawn to the music so easily.

"Let's just hope this is the only round they get to sing in," Sunset bit her lower lip.

"Yeah, hopefully The Rainbooms get to go on first next round, granted if you've got that counter-spell done right Twi?" Spike whispered up to his friend from her lap. The lavender girl was still scribbling away while looking up from her notebook every few seconds.

"Working on it," was all she said as her pencil kept scribbling onto the paper.

_[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]_  
_Oh, whoa, oh._

_[The Dazzlings]_  
_We've got the music, makes you move it._  
_Got the song that makes you lose it._  
_We say "jump", you say "how high?"_  
_Put your hands up to the sky._  
_We've got the music, makes you move it._  
_Got the song that makes you lose it._  
_We say "jump", you say "how high?"_  
_Put your hands up to the sky._

_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_You didn't know that you fell._  
_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_Now that you're under our spell._  
_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_You didn't know that you fell._  
_Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh._  
_Now that you're under our_

_[Adagio Dazzle]_  
_Spell._

"Just fabulous girls!" Celestia clapped and exclaimed. Luna followed suit with applause as did the rest of the gymnasium. Snips and Snails' mouths were drooling as the Dazzlings took a bow and walked off stage.

"Oh great, any more and I was gonna pass out from boredom," Casey stretched his arms.

"Hey Case, are ya sure ya don't wanna listen ta some music with us?" Applebloom offered one of her ear buds.

"Nah, I got all the music I need, right here," he pointed to the side of his head. Celestia and Luna wrote down their scores for the Dazzlings and took a few sips of water before calling the next band to the stage.

"Alright, if we can get Slicers 'N' Dicers on stage please," Luna announced. A few horror movie fanatics entered the stage wearing costumes ranging from Freddy Krueger to Michael Myers.

* * *

**(About an hour later. 3rd person POV)  
**

_[Trixie]  
__You better believe, I've got tricks up my sleeve_

_[Trixie &amp; The Illusions]  
See me dominate_

_[Trixie]  
'Cause I'm powerful and gray-ya-et!_

There was roar from the student body as Trixie's band bowed and left the stage. Animal Instinct and The Rainbooms were standing beside the stage, waiting for Animal Instinct's turn. "Try and follow up that magical performance Animal Imbeciles," Trixie mocked.

"What performance?" Scootaloo asked, "you standing there, not moving, strumming your V-Neck once every ten seconds while your cronies turn a few _knobs?_" She turned the joke around.

"Please, a baby banging on pots and pans has more talent than that," Sweetie Belle fist bumped Scootaloo. Trixie grumbled and clenched her fists.

"Just enjoy your final performance on stage! You'll rue the day you messed with the highest form of talent in the school! Your primitive Rock 'N' Roll is no match for my auto-tuners!" She threatened and stomped off. Casey grinned and patted the backs of his bassist and drummer.

"Nice goin' girls, ya made me 'n Vinyl proud," he gave them a quick hug.

"Kick some butt girls," Rainbow told the crusaders.

"Show her that no one talks to a member 'o the Apple family like that," Applejack said to Applebloom.

"Normally Sweetie I would never tell you to do this, but I dislike that girl so much sometimes. TEAR HER APART!" She screeched, causing everyone to stare at her. "S-sorry, lost my cool there for a second," she apologized.

"You're gonna stick around for our song right?" Scootaloo questioned Rainbow.

"Of course Squirt, why would we miss seeing the second best band in the school?" She teased.

"Next up: Animal Instinct," Celestia announced over the microphone.

"Break a leg Casey," Fluttershy smiled, "n-not really of course," she added sheepishly. Casey winked and gave her a thumbs up in return as everyone got to their respective spots on stage behind the curtain.

"Alright Applebloom, think you can handle the solo yet?" Casey asked before strapping on his headset. Applebloom groaned and bit her lower lip in nervousness. She then shook her head in reply. "Hey it's okay, we'll get you geared up for the next round song's solo," he assured her with a pat on the head. The curtain rose up from the ground and the lights dimmed until only Applebloom and Casey were shone under two different spot lights. Then, Applebloom strummed her guitar a few times for the opening riff. Casey stood there, holding his guitar, yet staying still and silent.

After a few brief moments of starting the song, Applebloom gave out a karate kick as Scootaloo joined in on her drum kit. Growing with intensity, Applebloom began to cock her shoulders every time she hit a note on her guitar. Casey finally raised his head and began to sing.

_[Casey]  
She was a fast machine she kept her motor clean_  
_She was the best damn woman that I ever seen_  
_She had the sightless eyes telling me no lies_  
_Knocking me out with those American thighs_

Casey finally brought his guitar up to his chest and began to play alongside Applebloom while continuing to sing.

_Taking more than her share_  
_Had me fighting for air_  
_She told me to come but I was already there_  
_Cause the walls start shaking_

The spotlights above Vinyl and Sweetie Belle flickered on as the two began to play the keyboard and bass together. Vinyl played just about the same parts as Casey and Applebloom. Speaking of which, the two guitarists started to shake their heads around to build up the intensity of the song. The two even started to bounce up and down on their knees to the beat of Scootaloo's drum kit.

_The earth was quaking_  
_My mind was aching_  
_And we were making it_  
_And you_

_[Animal Instinct]  
__shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
__Yeah you  
_

_[Animal Instinct]  
__shook me all night long_

Casey, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stopped continuously playing their instruments. Instead, they started to play short little bursts. Casey had turned and walked back in between Vinyl and Scootaloo while Sweetie Belle and Applebloom stood back to back, bobbing their heads and instruments in sync as Casey resumed singing.

_[Casey]  
I'm working double time on the seduction line_  
_She's one of a kind she's just mine all mine_  
_Wanted no applause it's just another course_  
_Made a meal outta me_  
_And come back for more_

Some of the kids in the gym, even the two principals started to get more into the song. Several students and teachers dancing to the hard Rock 'N' Roll. Head banging, performing air band movements and flashing the classic index finger and pinkie finger salute.

"Well, at least our sisters sound pretty good," Applejack complimented as Applebloom jumped into the air a few times. Some sweat was starting to fly off of her hair and her tongue started to hang out of her mouth.

"Yeah Pinkie Pie, my little sis could give you a run for your money, just like a proud member of the Dash family would," Rainbow nudged Pinkie Pie as she could see the fire in Scootaloo's eyes while pounding away on the drums. The Rainbooms' drummer was currently twirling a drumstick around her hand like Val Kilmer did in Top Gun when she heard Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my, I hope not too many boys are drawn to Sweetie Belle," Rarity pursed her lips as Sweetie Belle swirled her hips around and played her bass guitar. Rarity had to admit that her sister sounded amazing on her bass, but she was still a little creeped out by her bared teeth combined with the KISS-like makeup on her face.

_Had to cool me down to take another round_  
_Now I'm back in the ring to take another swing_

Sonata was standing up in her seat, bouncing up and down on her legs, swinging her arms, pumping her fists, swaying her shoulders and head banging to the awesome sounds coming from the band on stage. "Sit down Sonata," Aria growled and yanked the third Dazzling back onto her seat, "you don't cheer for the enemy," she added. Adagio just rolled her eyes and wondered for the fiftieth time that day why she she was cursed to spend pretty much her entire life with these two.

As Casey started up the second chorus, he reared back onto his left leg, kicking the right one up into the air and putting a deranged look on his face as he shouted as loud as he could, the next lyrics to the song.

_Cause the walls were shaking the earth was quaking_  
_My mind was aching_  
_And we were making it_  
_And you  
_

_[Animal Instinct]  
shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
Yeah you  
_

_[Animal Instinct]  
shook me all night long  
_

[Casey]  
_Knocked me out I said you_

_[Animal Instinct]  
Shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
You had me shaking and you_

_[Animal Instinct]  
Shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
__Yeah you shook me  
__When you took me_

Casey leapt from his standing spot in between Scootaloo and Vinyl and landed on his knees right back in between Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to start the guitar solo. Vinyl hit a few buttons on her keyboard. Smoke began to surrounded Casey like a cloud of mist and several red lasers appeared around him like a tiny jail cell to contain him. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom casually approached their lead guitarist and stopped on either side of him, staring at him with with evil grins on their faces while they and Scootaloo kept playing without missing a beat.

The bassist and second guitarist started to lean forward, bending their knees towards the laser cell as Casey's solo picked up on speed. The two girls got as close as they could to their friend as they could without touching the lasers. Finally, they gave off loud and hard screeches as Casey jumped up from his knees and kicked his legs sideways in a perfect split. At the same moment, Vinyl turned off the lasers in a brilliant flash of red that made it look like Casey destroyed the jail cell. Sweetie and Applebloom both pretended to be blown back by the 'blast' and jumped backwards into their original starting spots. Casey then took his guitar and shoved it behind his head and kept playing as he approached the edge of the stage.

_[Casey]  
You really took me and you_

_[Animal Instinct]  
Shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
You  
_

_[Animal Instinct]  
__shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
Yeah, yeah,  
_

_[Animal Instinct]  
you shook me all night long_  
_[Casey]  
You really got me and you_

_[Animal Instinct]  
Shook me all night long_

_[Casey]  
Yeah you shook me_  
_Yeah you shook me_  
_All night long_

Every band member, save for Scootaloo, ceased playing their parts. Scootaloo gave one final hard and loud _CRASH_ on her cymbals as Vinyl pressed another button that shot off lights made to look like fireworks accompanied by the sound of fireworks. Each member struck a pose with their instruments as they stood on stage, hearts pounding, sweat pouring, eyes wide open, breathing labored and teeth clenched. Immediately, the two principals stood up and gave hearty applauses, followed by whistles from Luna.

"SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE!" Luna complimented and sat down quickly to write down her score.

"_Way to go Casey!"_ Fluttershy cheered in her meek tone.

"Okay, _that_ was pretty sick," Rainbow Dash admitted as Animal Instinct took a bow and left the stage.

"Ah can't believe _my_ sister can play the guitar like that. Maybe next time she can perform the solo," Applejack applauded. Rainbow Dash and Applejack then turned to Rarity, both expecting some critique about her little sister's wardrobe or costume makeup.

"How could I have been so blind to my sister's talent on the bass? I knew she could sing, but I never knew how talented she could be with strings! Perhaps I can help design her a new costume?!" She gasped in delight. Slacked jawed, Rainbow Dash and Applejack handed Pinkie Pie $10 each.

"Alright, thank you Animal Instinct," Principal Celestia said while the band exited the stage and went back to their seats with their instruments. "Please give us a few minutes while we tally the scores students," she asked.

"Man I am SO proud of you girls," Casey gave a huge bear hug to all four of his bandmates, "_all_ of you. I couldn't have asked for a better performance, though I wish you would've done the solo Applebloom," Casey said, "I know you would've knocked it out of the park. We all need to showcase our own solos. Not one member is better than the other, remember that," he advised.

"So, does that mean you want me to sing the song _I _wrote?" Sweetie Belle nervously gulped.

"I would love it if you did Sweetie," Casey replied with a serious tone, "you have an amazing voice you need to share with the world along with your song writing talent," he explained. Sweetie Belle scratched the back of her neck, thinking about singing in front of the school with the band the next day. Before she could answer however, The Rainbooms showed up to crash the party.

"Well I will admit Casey," Rarity began, "you have proven to be a wonderful band leader by helping our sisters. I can see just how far they can go under your and Vinyl's leadership," she shook his hand.

"When you treat your band like a family instead of a one person show, you'll reach your full potential," Vinyl replied for Casey while looking at Rainbow with a knowing eyebrow raise.

"Casey, you have such a great voice," Fluttershy hugged her friend, "sure it can be a little scary sometimes, but you know how to use it," she gave off a smile. Casey returned the hug and smile.

"I wouldn't mind singing a song you wrote Fluttershy, you and Sweetie Belle both have extremely gifted talents for writing songs, maybe one day you two could work together on one?" He suggested. The tambourine player and bassist looked at each other before replying with the same word.

"Maybe."

"Oh, what a stinker," a voice broke the air of the two bands. "I knew you were just a bunch of cavemen just screeching and banging rocks together," Trixie teased.

"What do you want Trixie?" Vinyl crossed her arms.

"Moi? Oh nothing, just watching that pathetic attempt at keeping a dead art alive," Trixie played with Casey's chin before flicking it upwards, "it was amusing to be honest. Of course only people that are completely tone deaf could love this filth."

"Look just because you're jealous," Applebloom began.

"Jealous? Of a bunch of immature hooligans shouting like they're spider monkeys on cocaine? Hardly," Trixie retorted and fist bumped one of her cronies. Rolling his eyes, Casey removed his sweat stained Union Jack Tank Top and guitar and set them on the floor. Trixie sputtered as she stared at the Brit's rock hard six pack abs and well toned biceps. Having seen his torso before, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Vinyl and Fluttershy weren't affected, but the rest of the girls were. Twilight, Sunset, Rarity and Pinkie Pie blushed as they looked around the gym, trying to keep their eyes off Casey's torso. Rainbow and Applejack couldn't look away while Trixie's cronies fainted.

"Something the matter, Ms. Great and Powerful?" Casey teased.

"I-if you think showing off your god-like body will shut me up, well, it's working, so stop it!" Trixie shouted and looked away. Laughing, Casey put on a fresh Union Jack tank top, letting the girls around him turn back to normal.

"Attention students, we have determined which eight bands will move on, and which eight have been eliminated," Vice Principal Luna announced. The entire gym hushed while the TV monitor flashed briefly, revealing the 16 bands under the _Challenger Round_ bracket, yet with a jumbled up order. The heart pounding music from _Who Wants to be a Millionaire _began to play.

"The first band moving on is: The Dazzlings!" Celestia announced as The Dazzlings' name jumped to the bracket under _Contender Round. _The second band going on will be, The Rainbooms!" The Rainboom's name jumped to the second column.

"YES!" Rainbow Dash pumped her fist and the rest of the band breathed a sigh of relief.

"The third band: Trixie &amp; the Illusions," Luna took over announcing.

"Good choice principals," Trixie bragged.

"The fourth band moving on will be, The Flash Sentry Experience," Celestia said. Flash's band jumped up and high-fived each other while Flash glared at Casey and Twilight. "The fifth band, Bulk Biceps!"

"YEAAAAAHHHHH!" The steroid fueled athlete clenched his fists in victory.

"The sixth band going to the Contender Round will be Octavia and her Cello!" Luna made her name flash onto the second bracket. At this point, the remaining ten bands were starting to get nervous, even Animal Instinct was beginning to get a little worried.

"Don't worry girls, I'm proud of you no matter what," Casey reminded the Crusaders.

"Only two spots left, and ten bands that could take a spot," Luna reminded. "The seventh and penultimate band to go on will be, Candied Heartstrings." Lyra and Bon Bon squealed in delight and hugged each other closely.

"And, the eight and final band to go to the Contender Round with the other seven bands is," Celestia purposefully paused to create tension. The members of Atomic Mass, Fifty-Below Zero, Animal Instinct, Comedy and Tragedy, The Dark Horses, Diamond Spoons, Slicers 'N' Dicers, Flashbulb City and The Eco Kids all held their breath as Luna announced the final band.

"ANIMAL INSTINCT!" She declared. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom threw up their hands in jubilation and hugged each other while jumping up and down in place. Vinyl and Casey gave a strong hug to each other before pecking each other on the lips. The eight bands that were eliminated all started throwing slanders at the bands that moved on.

"Aw you just hate the environment!" The leader of the Eco Kids shouted.

"Shut up you stupid Leaf Licker!" Flash Sentry shouted back.

"THIS is a true tragedy!" One of the members of Comedy and Tragedy declared in an overdramatic tone and fell to her knees.

"We'll see if I'll even document the rest of the Battle of the Bands!" Photo Finish threatened.

"Only muffins can cure my heartache!" Derpy munched on a muffin. While the bands started to verbally murder each other, The Dazzlings stood idly by, enjoying the chaos that they had created.

"And now girls, we pit sister against sister, then there'll be no stopping us from getting the power we so deserve from the Rainbooms," Adagio cackled, "for once the three with sisters fall, the rest will follow," she smirked.

"But how are we gonna do that Adagio?" Sonata questioned.

"For once, I'm glad you asked Sonata," Adagio pulled her and Aria into a whisper.

**End Chapter 5**

* * *

Any band names you see that were not mentioned in the movie were made up by me, and no I'm not bragging. The only ones I'm proud of are Animal Instinct and Fifty-Below Zero. The rest I know are bleh. The only band name I didn't come up with was Atomic Mass. That was the original name for Pete Willis, Rick Savage and Tony Kenning's band before Joe Elliott suggested Deaf Leopard and either Steve Clark or Rick Savage changed it to the spelling we all know today: Def Leppard. And yes, I believe Atomic Mass is a terrible name.

Alright, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but I had work, my other story to work on and my dad and I have been reflooring our entire house. I hope you all enjoyed the song Animal Instinct sang. This chapter goes out to the biggest AC/DC fan that follows this story: Stumbledore. Here you go buddy, I hope Animal Instinct did ya proud! Next time, we see Adagio's plan to pit sister against sister be put in place.

I do NOT own You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC.


	6. Chapter 6: Sisterly Hate

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 6: Sisterly Hate**

_Hey guys, sorry for the long update. Fallen Eagle just took more precedence over Get Your Rock On. That and I've started up a One-Shot Collection if you haven't checked that out yet. In this chapter, Adagio's plan to pit Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack against Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom will be put into full swing, and it will not be pretty. Look for a conniving and over-confident Adagio, a jealous and whiny Aria and the Taco loving Sonata!_

* * *

**(Right after the Contender Round Ended. With the Dazzlings, 3rd Person POV)**

As the gymnasium cleared out and the remaining eight bands grabbed their guitars, basses and drum kits, Adagio, Aria and Sonata stayed behind, formulating their plan to pit half the Rainbooms against their little sisters. "So, why does this school have so many dark corners exactly?" Sonata scratched the back of her head.

"We didn't build this stupid school," Aria groaned, "and shut up Sonata, we can't think with your constant jabbering penetrating our ear drums," the pig tailed girl threatened the third Dazzling. Sonata clammed up and looked downward at her feet sadly.

"BOTH of you shut up!" Adagio tried with all her might not to lash out and strangle the two other sirens, "_idiots,"_ she muttered under her breath. After taking a breath and massaging the veins on the side of her head, the head Dazzling began to formulate her plan to her fellow sirens. "Okay, so we know that those aggravating Rainbooms are immune to our siren songs, but we can still mooch angst and negativity off of them," she rubbed her hands together.

"Yeah, but only the three who have sisters," Aria reminded, "except they seem to have gotten along with their sisters better," Aria flipped one of her pig tails.

"Yep," Sonata agreed, "we can't steal their meanie streaks if they're happy with their sisters," she pointed out. Adagio growled and motioned with her hands that she would strangle the two if they didn't shut their yaps. Sonata covered her mouth with her hand while Aria rolled her eyes, not at all frightened of Adagio's threat.

"I'm getting to that you two. All we have to do turn the sisters against each other," she peered out from behind the bleachers and saw the Rainbooms and Animal Instinct chatting with each other, "and I don't think we'll get the small fries alone to sing to them," Adagio rubbed her chin, "but I think we can trick them into thinking their older sisters are against them or betrayed them." The ring leader of the Dazzlings kept her villainous stare on the two bands that seemed to pose the biggest threat to her own band. A smile crept upon her face, a smile reminiscent of the Grinch's and that which scared Sonata a bit.

"Are you gonna sit there complimenting yourself on your plan or are you going to actually share it with us?" Aria rolled her eyes at the pride that leaked out of Adagio. Frankly, Aria hated how much Adagio loved herself and how much credit she gave to herself for their current scheme, but when it came to how the trio of sirens had gotten banished to this Celestia forsaken place, all the credit went to Aria and Sonata.

"If you quit your whining Aria, I'll tell you," Adagio snapped away from The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct. "The little sisters' self esteem levels are higher than they've ever been, so if we can get them to think their older sisters are jealous and are trying to sabotage their band, then the hatred and anger will come flowing like Neighagara Falls ladies," Adagio explained. "And then in turn, the other pathetic band mates of both bands will choose sides, and then we'll really be swimming in more than enough power to return us to our former glory!" She added.

"Wait, we're going swimming now?" Sonata exclaimed, "but I didn't bring a swim suit!" She gasped. Aria and Adagio exchanged tiresome glances at each other, not even bothering to correct their ditzy friend anymore.

"And how do you propose we get the little brats to believe the bigger brats are trying to sabotage them?" Aria shot back to Adagio.

"Simple, I'll take on the bass player," Adagio eyed Sweetie Belle's innocent, sweet and trusting demeanor as she held her bass guitar case, "I should be able to get ahold of that bass long enough to do some damage," she smirked. "I'll stay in the shadows, follow her and her annoying fashion sister home and turn that bass into firewood before she even realized what hit her."

"Fine, I'll take the guitar one," Aria replied, "I know where her Family's Farm is; she does chores with her older sister so she her guitar should be left unguarded tonight until dinner time at least," she plotted.

"And Sonata, you take the tiny athletic one," Adagio ordered.

"Aw, can't I try and take on the British guy? I wouldn't mind getting more acquainted with him over some tacos and fruit punch, distracting him from that girlfriend of his and his band," she explained. Both Adagio and Aria's jaws dropped at Sonata's own idea of a plan which was actually pretty brilliant, but wouldn't work here.

"No Sonata, that won't work on him," Adagio snapped, "we're giving you the drummer because all you'll have to do is snap her drumsticks and put holes in her drums, even _you_ couldn't mess that up." Sonata whined and reluctantly agreed to Adagio's orders.

"What do you even see in that Casey Knight anyways Sonata?" Aria asked, "all he does is screech into a microphone and play a guitar like a monkey on speed." Sonata crossed her arms and 'humphed' at Aria, ignoring her statement.

"And besides, he's already got a girlfriend, that freak that likes to play music with the bass turned up too high and barely says anything to anyone except him and their bandmates," Adagio added.

"I don't care!" Sonata snapped at her 'friends,' "he's so smexy! That accent, the God-like body, his chiseled face and those beautiful green eyes," she began to swoon until Aria smacked her upside her head.

"Would you stop drooling and focus on snapping those drumsticks?!" Adagio pointed to Scootaloo as she and Casey pushed her drums out of the gym.

"Ugh fine, but when do we start because I'm kinda hungry?" Sonata asked and held her stomach in her hands.

"Just follow them after they leave the drum kit with the other bands' drum kits and make sure you snap those drum sticks, so move it!" Adagio growled and pushed Sonata out from behind the bleachers. Meanwhile across the gym, Casey and the rest of his friends were making plans to practice Sweetie Belle's song after dinner-time. Casey and Scootaloo were in the process of pushing her drum kit off stage and into the corner with the other band kits.

"Okay ladies, we all break for dinner and then meet back up at my house in my garage for practice, agreed?" Casey asked after he and Scootaloo set her drum kit off to the side of the gym with all of the other drum kits from the remaining eight bands. "Say, 7 'O Clock?"

"Sounds good to me Casey," Sweetie Belle smiled as she carried her bass in its case in her hand. "Plus I've got a little homework to take care of too, but I'll try to make it to practice as soon as I can," she ran to catch up with her older sister.

"I can eat just about as fast as Rainbow can boast, so I should definitely make it on time," Scootaloo jammed her drum sticks into her backpack and zipped up the zipper until the tips of the drum sticks were poking out of the top. "See you guys later!" She waved and jogged along side Rainbow whom was skateboarding down the sidewalk with her guitar on her back.

"Ah'm gonna try my best fer the guitar solo on Sweetie Belle's song Casey," Applebloom shared a quick hug with Casey.

"I'm sure you'll knock it outta the park Applebloom, but you better eat up first, practicing on an empty stomach can really make ya irritable or sick for a short time," Casey explained, "and we're not big enough ta be pukin' before a show just yet," he joked and gave her a quick noogie.

"That's gross Casey!" she chuckled and got out of his noogie grip, "Ah'll see ya in a few hours!" She walked right next to Applejack. The rest of the Rainbooms left as well, only Fluttershy waving good-bye to the Brit. Vinyl walked up and quickly pecked Casey on the cheek before throwing an arm his shoulder.

"You are so sweet with those girls Casey," she nuzzled his cheek. Casey could feel the deep bass vibrating off of his girlfriend's headphones, "and you're a great teacher too," she added with a nibble on his ear.

"Did I ever tell you that you smell like blueberry pop tarts?" Casey grinned to Vinyl whom lightly punched his arm. "And that you're perfect?" he kissed her neck. Their little moment was interrupted when the janitor made another appearance.

"Come on Casey, wrap it up or take it somewhere else," Gordy joked, "I gotta lock up the gym," he started to shut off the lights.

"But, isn't there still garbage Gordy?" Vinyl asked, "and you know, mopping to do?" she added.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna let the night guy get that," Gordy quickly smirked as he shoved the two teens out of the main doors of the gym before going around and locking every door to the gym. No one noticed the three Dazzlings sneaking out the back door to the gym.

"It's a good thing those two idiot principals leave the permanent record cabinet unlocked," Aria held a copy of each Crusader's personal information, the most important piece being their home addresses.

"Please, that was the easy part," Adagio shined her fingernails on her shirt, "convincing them to let us double check our own permanent records was hard, until I sang like a canary," she joked with an evil chuckle.

"Okay Sonata," Aria gave the pony-tailed girl Scootaloo's information and talked to her like she was a dog, "now you go to _this_ address," she pointed to the Dash family's home address, "and just break the drumsticks, understand?" She asked.

"Yes Aria, _you big jerk_," Sonata muttered quietly.

"Good, now do it before they go off for practice!" She made Sonata jump from her sudden volume increase. Sonata turned heel and started jogging towards Scootaloo's house. Aria was beginning to have second thoughts.

"Don't you think we should have just had Sonata stay at home and watch cartoons? What if she gets sidetracked at Taco Bell or something?" She brought up. Adagio groaned and shoved Sweetie Belle's address into her pocket.

"You probably have a point," she grumbled, "but she's already on her way, besides how badly could she mess up breaking drum sticks?" Adagio asked.

* * *

**(At The Belle household. 3rd Person POV)**

"Now Sweetie Belle, clean that gunk off of your face and put on your regular attire before we eat dinner," Rarity politely commanded her little sister. Sweetie Belle rolled her bright green eyes before taking off her wig and setting it on a mannequin head in Rarity's room. She was still in shock Rarity allowed her to keep the wig there.

"You do know you're not mom, right Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked as she stepped into her own room, right across from Rarity's and closed the door to change clothes, but left it slightly ajar so she could hear her big sister. Before zipping out of her maroon jumpsuit, Sweetie Belle placed her bass case softly on her bed.

"Oh of course I do Sweetie Belle," Rarity called back from her own room, "but you know dressing up like KISS is not appropriate for dinner, and that much makeup is kind of, gross," Rarity grimaced. Sweetie Belle shook her head and quickly applied her makeup remover before putting on a _Heart_ band t-shirt and some blue jeans with a magenta hoodie. "See, you look much more beautiful au natural Sweetie," Rarity poked her head inside Sweetie's room.

"Thanks sis," the younger sister managed to crack a smile. "Hey, I'm sorry for being a pain in the butt the other day at Sugarcube corner," she awkwardly rubbed her arm, "it's just that I was upset that you wanted me to quit Casey's band for lying, even though I didn't," she explained.

"Aww," Rarity wrapped her arms around Sweetie's torso, "it's okay Sweetie Belle. I forgive you, perhaps I did jump the gun a tad on the issue," she smiled, "though I will admit you are extremely talented on that bass of yours. However, I always thought you preferred song writing," Rarity pondered. The younger sibling bit her lower lip, conflicting with herself on whether or not to tell Rarity that the next song Animal Instinct was performing was in fact written by her.

"Actually, funny you should mention that," she rubbed the back of her head after Rarity released her hug. "You see, after you, Applejack and Rainbow Dash left us at Vinyl's music shop, I showed Casey one of my songs that I wrote and he loved it so much that we're going to perform it tomorrow in the Challenger Round," she smiled.

"I'm so proud of you Sweetie!" Rarity squealed, "my own sister could become a famous song-writer! Ooh, do you think you could write a few instrumental pieces for fashion shows? I think we could team up when we both make it big and take both the music world and fashion world by storm!" Rarity struck a dramatic pose. Sweetie Belle giggled.

"Sure, I'll start after the Battle of the Bands is over," she grinned.

"Excellent!" Rarity patted her little sister's head.

"Rarity, Sweetie Belle, come on down and eat this yummy lookin' dinner your mom made us!" Their father called from downstairs. Hungrier than she thought she was, Sweetie Belle bolted from the room and held her door open for her big sister.

"Go on Sweetie, I must wash my hands before I eat," Rarity explained. Sweetie wasted no time in dashing downstairs to sit at the dinner table with her folks. Rarity then left the room to go the bathroom, unaware of a figure lurking behind the leaves of the tree outside Sweetie Belle's window. Utilizing what little magic she had, Adagio unlocked the window and slithered quieter than a snake or a church mouse into the room.

"Okay, time to put this plan into action," she whispered as she hid behind Sweetie's bed, waiting for Rarity to finished washing her hands. Hearing footsteps, the siren held her breath as Rarity pattered by Sweetie's room. When the coast was clear and she could hear the Belle family chatting and enjoying their meal, Adagio stood up and opened up Sweetie's bass case to reveal the shiny and pristine instrument. Downstairs, Sweetie and Rarity both told their parents about going against each other in the Battle of the Bands, with Rarity of course leaving out the details about Equestrian magic and the sirens.

"So, are your bands going to be going against each other at all?" Rarity and Sweetie's mother questioned, wiping her mouth.

"Not exactly mother," Rarity corrected, "the way the principals have it set up is only the final two bands will really 'go against each other,'" she explained, "though technically all sixteen bands faced off against each other a few days ago," she then popped some food into her mouth.

"Wouldn't that be something huh?" The father looked between his daughters, "our daughters both facing off in the final round. I always knew you girls were destined to do great things," he bragged.

"Actually dad," Sweetie set down her milk glass, "I think my band and Rarity's band are the two best in the school, so we might face off," she smirked towards Rarity. _'Not exactly Sweetie Belle, not with those pesky Sirens trying to take over the school,'_ Rarity thought.

"That reminds me honey, how are things with your band and this Casey Knight fellow?" their mother asked.

"Great, Casey's been showing me the three most important things about playing an instrument: Heart, soul and technique," Sweetie replied, "oh and he's also taught me great tips on keeping my cool if I mess up. And he's a great teacher, instead of giving me a music sheet and telling me what to play, he plugs in another bass and shows me where to put my hands and shows me the different positions during each song."

"Oh mother, father, did Sweetie tell you Casey accepted one of her songs for the band to perform in the next round?" Rarity excitedly asked.

"Well, congratulations there Sweetie Belle," their dad patted Sweetie's back, "eh, what's it called?"

"Sorry dad, gotta keep that a secret until tomorrow," she winked and sipped her milk.

"Do you think you can record it for us Rarity dear?" Their mom asked politely.

"Of course mother, though I'm not sure how you both feel about Rock 'N Roll," Rarity trailed off.

"Didn't we tell you Rarity that you were conceived at a Green Day concert?" Their father nonchalantly questioned. Rarity spat out her water, narrowly missing her mother's head.

"WHAT!?" She screeched so loudly that her glass shattered on the table.

"Oh yeah, your mother and I just got back from our Honeymoon and decided to have one more night to live a little before going back to work and Green Day was in town. Although we never made it to our seats," their dad looked over at their mom and they winked at each other. "Oh and Sweetie Belle the year after at Def Leppard's Slang tour," he added. Rarity stuck her fingers in her ears, wishing she could take back that piece of information. Sweetie Belle shoved her plate away and stood up.

"Well, I've gotta go rehearse with Casey and the girls," Sweetie Belle began to leave the house.

"Don't forget your bass dear," Rarity unplugged her ears. Sweetie ran upstairs and ran back down with her bass in hand.

"Be back by 10:00 honey!" Their dad waved goodbye. Rarity stood up from the table as well, pushing the broken shards of her glass cup into a napkin and tossing them into the trash.

"If you'll excuse me mother and father, I must go clean my ears and then go practice with my own band at Applejack's farm," she quietly announced before slowly walking upstairs.

"What's wrong with her?" her dad curiously asked.

* * *

**(At Sweet Apple Acres. 3rd Person POV)**

"AB, ya can just go ahead 'n set yer guitar in the barn while we eat supper," Applejack pointed to the barn as she and Applebloom strolled into Sweet Apple Acres. "'N can ya take my bass too?" Applejack handed Applebloom the case. The youngest member of the Apple family took a detour towards the large red building and set her guitar case down right next to the entrance to the barn and set AJ's bass on the other side of the door.

"Alright Applejack, got it," Applebloom rejoined her big sister inside the house. Heading upstairs, Applebloom took off her skull headband and dropped it right on top of her backpack in her room before taking off her band outfit and redressing in her usual attire of blue jeans, a brown belt and a lime green T-Shirt. The 16 year old took out her chemistry homework, textbook, Samphone 4 and earbuds and turned on some Aerosmith to help her concentrate on homework. She didn't have the volume up very so she could hear her family if dinner was ready.

*Knock, knock, knock* Applebloom set down her textbook and took her earbuds out of her ears to answer her door. "Hey lil sis," Applejack waved, "mind if Ah come in?" She questioned. Opening her door wider, Applebloom stood off to the side and let her older sister inside. "How's yer Chemistry homework comin' along?"

"Pretty good," Applebloom sat back down on her bed, "Ah always understood 'bout mixin' the chemicals and their names, but thanks ta Casey helpin' me with the math, it's a breeze," Applebloom smiled, "Ah'm almost done too. So is supper ready yet?" She tacked on.

"That's pretty good lil sis, and no; it should be about ten more minutes," Applejack replied.

"Oh, well not that Ah don't mind yer company, what are ya doin' here?"

"Ah just wanted to tell ya how proud Ah am 'o ya fer workin' hard on yer guitar skills. Ya sounded excellent today," Applejack threw an arm around Applebloom's neck.

"Uh, thanks big sis," Applebloom returned the hug.

"Ah'm just a lil curious, why does yer band need two guitarist? Ah think Casey's good enough to just be the lead singer." Applebloom shifted her position on her bed a bit before replying.

"Most 'o our songs have two different guitar tracks. Like when Casey does the lead guitar solo, Ah still play the regular guitar chords," she explained.

"Is Casey ever gonna let ya play the lead solo?" AJ cocked her head to the side.

"Actually, Casey's been tryin' ta push me ta play the lead solo fer sometime, though he says Ah will fer our song tomorrow," Applebloom retorted.

"'N Ah can't wait ta hear it AB," Applejack ruffled her little sister's hair. The elder Apple sibling felt bad about keeping the secret of the sirens from her little sister, but she didn't want Applebloom to nearly become a slave like with Sunset Shimmer before. Keeping her away from the truth felt almost as bad as lying, but Applejack just wanted her sister safe. She _could_ tell her why she wanted her to pull out of the competition and everything the Rainbooms knew about the sirens, but knowing Applebloom and her little friends, there was a good possibility they would confront the sirens and, well, she didn't want to think about that.

"Ah'm sorry fer yellin' at ya in Sugarcube Corner," Applebloom broke the silence.

"Huh, what?" Applejack shook her head.

"Ah should've just tried ta explain it ta ya back home after our trip to the cafe. Or the girls 'n Ah should've just told all three o' ya right off the bat 'bout Casey 'n Vinyl volunteerin' ta help us," Applebloom explained, "we were just hurt that none 'o ya wanted ta help us with our instruments so we could get better," Applebloom gave Applejack her sad face.

"Aw, Ah'm sorry fer ignorin' ya Sugarcube," Applejack squeezed her little sister again, "Ah promise when this Battle 'o the Bands is over, whether or not ya won, Ah'm gonna take ya ta DisneyLand ta kickoff Summer break, 'n yer friends can come too, how's that sound?" Before Applebloom could respond, Granny Smith's voice erupted from downstairs.

"SOUP'S ON, COME 'N GET IT!" She shouted while clanging on a triangle.

"Let's go chow down little sis," Applejack released her sister and stood up from the bed.

"Race ya!" Applebloom offered.

"Ah would, but Ah gotta go out back 'n feed Winona," Applejack apologized. As the duo went downstairs, outside the house, Aria snuck behind various pieces of farming equipment, doing her best to stay out of site, less she be caught and the plan be ruined.

"Shit," Aria swore when she saw Applejack exit the back door to feed the family dog. The siren ducked behind a stack of hay as the farm girl petted her dog and fed and watered her.

"Aren't ya the cutest lil doggy ever?" Applejack scratched the dog's belly. Aria rolled her eyes and pinched her nose.

"Stupid country hick," Aria muttered. Applejack finally went back inside the house, leaving Aria to complete her task. The siren tip-toed into the barn where she saw the younger Apple sister hide the instruments. Picking the one with the flaming skulls on the case, Aria unclipped the locks with a hairpin and opened the case to reveal Applebloom's guitar. "This is too easy," she pulled out a pair of scissors from her pocket and grabbed a sledgehammer from the tool rack in the barn.

Back inside, Applebloom quickly scarfed down her dinner before getting up to go practice with her band. Picking up her guitar case right where she left it, Applebloom slung it over her should and jogged to the road in front of her family farm where she bummed a ride off some guy by the name of Rapidfire in a pickup truck.

* * *

**(At The Dash house. 3rd Person POV)**

Carrying a bag full of Taco Bell, and with some taco sauce covering her mouth, Sonata strolled up to Scootaloo's address and prepared to do her part of the plan. Quickly wiping her mouth, the Pinkie Pie of the Dazzlings reached into her pocket and pulled out a fake mustache to coincide with her fake Taco Bell uniform. "Okay, Sonata, you can do this," she cleared her throat and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Scootaloo opened the door to find a Taco Bell employee standing on her stoop.

"Hola," Sonata said in a crappy Spanish accent, "my name is Atanos and I'm here to deliver your delicioso tacos and burritos!" Sonata cheered.

"What? We didn't order any food, and Taco Bell doesn't deliver," Scootaloo put her hands on her hips.

"Oh, but we do!" Sonata countered once again in her accent, "we're uh testing, yeah, testing deliveries!" She showed the bag to Scootaloo.

"That mustache is so fake, I don't know what kind of prank you're playing," the 16 year old leaned against the doorframe. Sonata smoothed out the handlebar mustache so it would stay flush to her upper lip.

"I have no clue what you are talking about señorita," the siren tried to play a convincing role, "but I have a bag full of nice and yummy Mexican cuisine to deliver to you," she eyed the bag and tried to fight the urge to eat.

"Okay, if you are an actual Taco Bell employee on a delivery, where are our drinks?" Scootaloo said smugly. Gulping Sonata set down the bag and pulled a stack of paper out of her pocket.

"Uno momento por favor Señorita," Sonata started flipping through the pages. "Come on," her accent dropped, "what's the script say? Oh yeah," she put the script back in her pocket, "our Baja blast machine, uh, exploded," her accent came back.

"Really? So you won't mind if I call the town Taco Bell and ask for your manager?" Scootaloo pulled out her Samphone 4.

"No! I mean uh, did I mention the tacos and burritos were free?" She shoved the bag into Scootaloo's chest.

"Not unless we get drinks Atanos," Scootaloo glared. Sonata solemnly pulled out a bottle of her favorite fruit punch and handed it to the high schooler.

"Here, this is the bestest fruit punch ever," she said sadly.

"Thanks, see ya later!" Scootaloo shut the door. Sonata sighed and turned around, but her demeanor turned into a happy one when she realized her plan to fool Scootaloo had worked.

"Oh, Adagio and Aria are going to be so proud!" She cheered and began to skip away. "Wait a minute, why do I feel like I forgot something?" She scratched her head. Turning her head, Sonata saw Scootaloo's backpack in her window, her drumsticks poking out of the top. " AW COME ON!" She screamed in frustration. "Gotta think, or else Adagio will make me sleep in the dumpster again," she banged her head against a tree. "That's it!" She gasped and raced back to Scootaloo's house.

"Hey, you're that Taco Bell employee that gave my sister free tacos, what's up with that?" Rainbow Dash answered the door.

"Free promotion, now can I please use your bathroom? I can't make it back to work!" Sonata begged, forgetting her accent.

"No, go away," Rainbow tried to shut the door.

"PLEASE!" Sonata held her hands to her crotch.

"Go ask the people next door, we're eating dinner!" Rainbow tried to shut the door again, but Sonata tuck her foot in the doorway.

"I'm going to explode, please, I don't want to mess up my new panties!" She begged. Grumbling, Rainbow held the door open and Sonata burst inside to the bathroom.

"Rainbow, what's the taco bell delivery chick doing here?" Scootaloo swelled her burrito.

"She needed to pee," Rainbow joined her sister at the table. Sonata meanwhile, flushed the toilet and exited the bathroom with a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank you!" She waved before sneaking to the window in the living room. She quietly unzipped the backpack and snapped the drumsticks as quietly as she could.

"Hey, you're overstaying your welcome, GET OUT!" Rainbow literally kicked Sonata out of the house. The siren clapped her hands as she skipped back home to meet up with Adagio before they went to meet Aria at the farm.

"Well, that was a great surprise dinner," Scootaloo grabbed her backpack and skateboard. "See ya later Rainbow, gotta practice!" She launched her skateboard and began to skate away before hitching a ride on the bumper of a truck that Applebloom was coincidentally riding in.

* * *

**(At Casey's House)**

"Mmm, Casey, you're such a good kisser too," Vinyl said as she and Casey were making out on his couch to Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion.

"And you taste like Blueberry Pop Tarts," Casey replied when the two broke for air and resumed making out. Casey's hands massaged her back while Vinyl's kept pawing at his black mullet. And in a twist, Vinyl allowed Casey to wear her sunglasses. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, upsetting the British rocker. Miffed as well, Vinyl climbed off her boyfriend and shut off her music player. "This had better be free pizza or our band mates," Casey threw the door open to reveal the Crusaders ready to practice.

"Hey guys, we're ready to practice!" Scootaloo announced.

"Uh, why are you wearing Vinyl's sunglasses Casey?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Uh, um, I, uh, no reason!" Casey tossed the purple shades back to his girlfriend whom caught them with her face.

"Should we have come at a later time?" Applebloom teased.

"Nope, we're all good here," Vinyl chuckled. Clearing his throat, Casey led the four girls to his garage where they would be practicing. Vinyl had allowed Casey to borrow an extra drum kit so they wouldn't have to haul Scootaloo's all over the place.

"Okay girls, now I know this will be different, but I want Sweetie Belle to sing this since it is her song," Casey explained. "Sweetie, do you think you can play the bass and lead sing at the same time?" He asked.

"I think so, though I'm still a little nervous about being the lead singer," she confessed. Casey strapped on his blue and red-flamed guitar while Vinyl plugged in her keyboard and the Crusaders set down their instrument cases.

"'N I'm still nervous 'bout playin' the lead solo, but Ah'm also pretty excite-" Applebloom started before screaming at the top of her lungs. "AHHHHHHH MY GUITAR!" She screeched and pulled out a guitar that was demolished with hammer marks all over the bigger chunks of what used to be a guitar. The six strings also looked as if someone cut them.

"Good sweet Lord," Casey grimaced as Applebloom held up the now ruined instrument. Sweetie then let out a scream that sounded almost exactly like Rarity's.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH MY BASS!" She screamed and squeaked when she saw her bass was completely snapped in half at the base of the neck with said neck laying on top of the main body. The tuning knobs were also snapped off and laying on the bottom of the case.

"What the hell is going on here?" Vinyl lowered her shades to see Sweetie Belle's and Applebloom's destroyed instruments. Feeling scared, Scootaloo slowly unzipped her backpack and pulled out her drumsticks, which were now practically chop sticks.

"MY DRUM STICKS! WHO'S THE DEAD PERSON!?" She threw the now scrapped wood at the wall of Casey's garage. Sweetie Belle dropped what was left of her bass onto the garage floor with a loud clatter. She bent her head down and sniffled, allowing several salty tears to slip from her eyes and onto the floor. Throwing his own guitar off to the side, Casey jogged over to Sweetie Belle and wrapped his arms around her which she returned.

"It's alright Sweetie Belle, just let it out," Casey cooed and laid his head atop her own. She didn't wail or anything, but Sweetie Belle did sniffle a lot.

"Alright, whoever did this and made Sweetie Belle cry, they're gonna pay," Scootaloo cracked her knuckles and clenched her teeth. While Casey was consoling Sweetie Belle and Applebloom and Scotaloo were fuming, Vinyl was trying to come up with a possible scenario for what had happened.

"Uh girls, what exactly did you all do when you got home?" She questioned.

"Applejack had me leave our instruments in the barn," Applebloom replied.

"I just threw my backpack on the couch," Scootaloo said.

"*Sniff* I left my bass in my room," Sweetie Bell blew her nose and wiped her eyes. Casey unwrapped his arms and helped the sixteen year old to her feet.

"Well, then did anyone else handle your instruments?" Casey asked.

"No, no one else ever touched them, but," Applebloom's eyes lit up. "Feed the dog my BUTT!" Applebloom kicked her pile of instrument remains. "APPLEJACK!" Sweetie clenched her teeth and growled.

"Wash her hands? RARITY!" She screamed.

"Rainbow told me she was going to throw the Taco Bell chick out of our house, that LIAR!" Scootaloo threw her backpack across the garage. Aggravated, all three of the Crusaders were bloodthirsty and looking for revenge.

"Casey, take us ta my house, we got some family business to take care of," Applebloom clenched her hands into fists.

"Woah now girls, I know this sounds bad for your sisters, but don't go jumping to con-" Casey started before Sweetie Belle grabbed his shirt collar and shook him like a rag doll.

"Take us to our sisters, NOW!" She screamed in his face. Casey reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys for his dad's 1982 Pontiac Trans-AM.

"I'll drive?" He fearfully questioned. Sweetie Belle released his shirt collar and opened the garage door so everyone could pile into the car. The Crusaders all climbed into the back seat as Vinyl and Casey turned off the lights to the garage and shut the door.

"Just what both bands needed," Casey muttered to Vinyl, "more sisterly hate."

* * *

**(At Sweet Apple Acres)**

"So Twi, how's the counter spell comin'?" Applejack questioned after all members of the Rainbooms gathered at her farm. The lavender girl was scribbling away in her journal and gulped.

"Uh, so close, but I'm having a bit of trouble here at the end," Twilight replied as Spike propped himself up on his forelegs and looked at the journal.

"Don't worry Twi, at least you're closer than you were yesterday," he offered a little encouragement.

"Aww Spikey, you're so sweet," Rarity couldn't help but pick up the puppy and nuzzle him.

"Well, we've still got two more rounds before the finals and two more kick-ass songs to stay alive," Rainbow strummed her guitar a few times.

"Um uh, Rainbow, I was hoping we could play this song for the Challenger round?" Fluttershy showed a sheet of music to Rainbow Dash. The rainbow hair colored teenager took only a brief glance at the sheet before giving it back to Fluttershy.

"Sorry Fluttershy, we've gotta play something a little more blood pumping to separate us from the other pop bands," Rainbow sort of apologized. The animal loving girl sighed sadly before putting her music sheet back into her backpack.

"Hey, I thought it looked like a good one," Sunset Shimmer gave a small smile to Fluttershy.

"Well, why can't we do Fluttershy's song Rainbow?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Because it's too touchy feely and not blood pumping enough."

"Well, what if we put it to a vote Rainbow?" Applejack suggested.

"I said no! My band can't perform just pop music, we've got to really rock out," Rainbow retorted.

"OUR band you mean. You'd just be a solo act if we didn't join," Rarity reminded the athlete.

"And I wouldn't have to deal with whiners all the time," Rainbow muttered. Sunset opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it.

"Whiners? Just because we have a different opinion?" Pinkie shrieked. The five friends began to shout and bicker with each other when the sound of a car approaching silenced them.

"Hey, what's Casey doing here?" Fluttershy asked.

"And with our sisters?" Rarity questioned. The car doors burst open and the Crusaders ran out to confront their sisters. "Hello Sweetie, what brings you-" Rarity started before Scootaloo shouted.

"SABOTAGERS!" She shrieked.

"I think you mean Saboteurs," Sweetie corrected, "but you three know what we mean!"

"What on Earth are you talking about Sweetie Belle?" Rarity demanded.

"How's this fer a memory refresh!?" Applebloom showed her destructed guitar to Applejack.

"Oh my stars, what the hay happened ta yer guitar AB?" Applejack asked.

"Wha- YOU TELL ME AJ!" Applebloom yelled.

"How could you do this to us?" Scootaloo showed Rainbow her busted drumsticks.

"Washing your hands, is that code for you're so jealous your little sister will beat you that you'll destroy her bass that she spent years saving up for!?" Sweetie dropped her broken bass at Rarity's feet.

"Wha- you honestly think _I _did this Sweetie Belle? I'm not a monster!" Rarity defended.

"Oh a likely story, how DARE you!" Sweetie shoved her big sister.

"I hate fighting!" Fluttershy hid behind her backpack.

"Ah shoulda known you were threatened by how good we sound!" Applebloom got into Applejack's face.

"Some sisters you are!" Scootaloo kicked Rainbow's shin.

"HEY, BREAK IT UP!" Casey shouted at his three bandmates.

"Girls, come on, we can smooth this out peacefully," Twilight put her notebook away.

"Only if our sisters admit they tried to sabotage us on purpose!" Sweetie shoved Rarity again.

"Don't think I won't put you over my knee if you need it Sweetie Belle!" Rarity warned. The six sisters began to bicker and shove each other around until it turned ugly.

"AH WISH YOU WEREN'T MY SISTER!" Applebloom grabbed ahold of Applejack's ponytail and yanked her down to the ground. Rainbow grabbed Scootaloo's shoulders and the two began to push on each other while Sweetie Belle grabbed a bucket of horse water and dumped it on Rarity's hair.

"THAT'S IT!" Rarity tackled Sweetie Belle.

"_**HEY! I SAID BREAK IT UP!" **_Casey and Vinyl jumped in between Scootaloo, Rainbow and Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

"What the hay is goin' on here?!" Big Mac heard the commotion and broke up the fight between his sisters. After quelling the fight and pitting all three sets of sisters away from each other, Casey took to the center of the barn.

"Okay, now _you_ three I am fucking disappointed in," He pointed to his three bandmates.

"Language Casey!" Rarity scolded.

"Shove it Rarity," Casey replied.

"Please be a little nicer Casey," Fluttershy politely asked.

"Sorry Flutters," Casey apologized, "now I told you three not to jump the gun and what do you do? You end up looking like jackasses by just attacking your sisters based on accusations."

"But what other evidence do we need?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah, all three of our sisters needed to be alone for a specific set of time and then our instruments end up destroyed?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Sounds good enough to convict them," Applebloom finished.

"Look, I don't think your sisters did it," Casey admitted.

"You don't?!" Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack burst out in surprise.

"No. I know you love your sisters, but I don't think you'd do something as sadistic as this, besides, what would you gain from it? Pretty much eternal hatred from your little sisters," Casey explained.

"But Casey," Scootaloo countered, "what other explanation could there be? Our parents were all cooking dinner or out of town?"

"Yeah, it's not like someone broke into our houses just to break our instruments," Sweetie Belle added. This time, Vinyl cleared her throat and spoke out.

"I don't have a clue who broke your instruments, but I think it's safe to say it wasn't your sisters. Who's to say Trixie and her goons didn't do it?" Vinyl crossed her arms in front of the Crusaders.

"Oh, right, we forgot about her," Sweetie blushed in embarrassment.

"Oops," Applebloom couldn't bear to look her sister in the eye.

"Aw, now I feel like an ass!" Scootaloo whined.

"You see? This is what happens when you jump the gun without thinking!" Casey yelled.

"Should I get some cupcakes? Cupcakes make everything better?" Pinkie questioned. No one answered her.

"Now, you three apologize to your sisters and hug them," Casey ordered. The Crusaders slowly stood up from their seats and hugged their sisters, all apologizing like crazy.

"We forgive ya, if the same thing had happened ta us, well you might've been at the 'o our lists too," Applejack accepted AB's apology.

"Okay, but what do they do now Casey? I don't think they have backup instruments?" Fluttershy placed a hand on Casey's shoulder.

"I think I can help with that," Vinyl smiled.

* * *

**(Meanwhile, out back of the barn)**

The Dazzlings' red gems were glowing brighter than they had in the millennia that they had been banished to this world. "We're closer than ever girls. That huge burst of negative energy really cut our workload in half," Adagio breathed in through her nose.

"I can't believe one of your ideas finally worked without a hitch," Aria popped her gum.

"Shut up Aria, you'll be thanking me once we have the school, then the town and then the world at our dispense," Adagio balled a fist up to Aria's face. "And Sonata, take off that stupid disguise!" She yelled at the Taco Bell dressed Siren.

"But it smells like Tacos! And it matches my eyes!" She countered, "and this mustache looks so KEWL!" Both Adagio and Aria performed the classic face-palm at their fellow Siren's child-like mentality.

"Whatever, we need our rest for the round tomorrow," Adagio declared, "as if," she added with an egotistical chuckle.

**End Chapter 6**


	7. Chapter 7: The Contender Round

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 7: The Contender Round**

_Alright, who's ready for the Contender Round? Last time, the Dazzlings drove a wedge between the Belle Sisters, the Dash Sisters and the Apple Sisters. Now that Casey and Vinyl have somewhat patched that, the remaining eight bands are ready to bring their all to the Contender Round. Eight bands, only four moving on to the Eliminator Round._

**Sassymouse:**_I have to show the Dazzlings trying to scheme for their plan to __work or else I fear this story may get boring. The hardest part is trying to keep Aria in character because truth be told: I don't give a shit about her. I like Adagio and especially Sonata, but Aria for me is just, there. _

**Dante Watterson:**_ Oh I shall_

**Swifter Shifter:**_ Thank you. I'm glad you still enjoy this. _

**Dixie Darlin:**_ I wanted to try a bit more of a comedic edge with Sonata and I thought her trying to trick Scootaloo and Rainbow with a Taco Bell delivery person was gold. I thought of it after I had everything else planned out and written down. And Rarity wanted to know what her parents thought of Rock and her father gave her the answer ;)_

**uyamir334:**_ Ok_

**Guest (1):** _Thank you_

**Wolfdragon:**_ Check out Vault: MLP One-Shot Collection Chapter 3 for that_

**Guest (2):**_ Did you mean Pop is dead and Rock is awesome? Cuz Rainbow is most definitely alive. _

**dub77:**_ Well then I feel honored_

**SleepAroundTheClock:**_ I'm tinkering with that idea, though I don't know if I can get that in without disrupting the flow of the story or having a legit way of having her get jealous and then them making up normally instead of half a chapter of him apologizing and her accepting. _

**Guest (3)**:_ No_

_Just a warning, if you hate American Idol like I do, then you might not like how Celestia and Luna recap the previous round in an American Idol-esqe way. Also, the plans for the rest of the story: The Contender Round this chapter, a break with some Dazzling threats to Casey for next Chapter, and the Eliminator Round and the Championship Round for the chapter after that._

_Also, sorry that the song for the Contender Round isn't really heavy rock like Crazy Train or You Shook Me All Night Long, but it's one of my favorite rock songs of all time._

* * *

**(Casey's Garage. 3rd Person POV)**

As promised, Vinyl helped Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom with getting new instruments, or drumsticks in Scootaloo's case, by going to her music shop and loaning the instruments out for free. The band wasted no time in getting back to Casey's garage to practice Sweetie's song, though there were still a few things that needed some improvement. Everyone in the band knew that Sweetie Belle had a heavenly voice that was rivaled only by an angel, but something was amiss. Though she had agreed to Casey that she would sing for this one song in the Battle of the Bands, he and everyone else could tell she was scared by the tone of her voice and how much it cracked.

Once the song ended, Sweetie Belle groaned and face palmed. "I'm sorry guys, that sucked," she apologized and slumped down on top of a milk crate. Propping her chin in her hands, the bassist looked sadly down at her feet and sighed. Casey removed his guitar from his torso and set it down propped up against the wall.

"Okay, why don't we take a ten minute break mates?" He suggested.

"Applebloom, Scootaloo, let's go grab a quick snack," Vinyl offered and opened the door for the second guitarist and drummer for the band.

"But, we want ta help Sweetie Belle," Applebloom countered.

"Trust me, Casey's the best man for the job," the DJ/keyboardist shoved Applebloom and Scootaloo out of the door. The Brit took one last look at the door, placing his hands on his waist before turning back to Sweetie Belle. Quickly, Casey grabbed another empty milk crate, flipped it upside down and plopped down right next to the upset bassist turned lead singer. Intertwining his fingers like he was getting ready to pray, Casey set his hands down in front of him, trying to think of something to say to his crestfallen bandmate and friend. Thinking of something, Casey untwined his fingers and laced his left arm around Sweetie Belle's shoulder in a one-armed hug, patting her arm with his hand.

"I can't do it Casey," Sweetie finally whispered out as Casey rubbed her arm. The Brit ceased rubbing her arm and looked down at her. She felt his eyes peering at her, scaring her even more as she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Come on Sweetie Belle," Casey placed his hand on her shoulder, "what's wrong? I know you can sing so much better than this," he questioned. She stuck out her lip in a little pout, feeling ashamed at failing her mentor.

"I can sing for close friends and small groups like you, Applebloom, Vinyl and Scootaloo, but the thought of performing in front of the entire school just scares me Casey," Sweetie Belle explained, "those eyes just piercing right through me, everyone waiting to judge me, to mock me, make fun of me," she clamped her eyes shut at the images of every member of the student body staring at her without blinking.

"But you've already performed two songs up on stage with the band," Casey softly pointed out, "and everyone who wasn't apart of another band liked us and didn't have anything bad to say. You looked as cool as an ice cube with your bass," he complimented.

"Yeah, I was fine with standing in the back next to Scootaloo playing my bass; I wasn't the main focus of the audience's attention, you were!" She replied with a loud exclamation. "And this isn't about multi-tasking with singing and playing my bass Casey, I just can't be the main focus of attention without clamming up and wanting to curl into the fetal position," she admitted, burying her head into Casey's chest.

"It's okay Sweetie," Casey softly petted her hair.

"But the worst part is, I don't want to let any of you down," she pulled her head away from Casey's chest, "I'd hate to be the reason we don't make it to the Eliminator Round," she said solemnly. Casey pushed her away so he could look straight into her eyes.

"Sweetie Belle, the only way you could possibly let me down is either not showing up or by using the band for your own personal gain, and I set that standard for everyone, including _myself," _he whispered the end. "If you at least try and sing but you don't sing as good as you normally do, I'd still be proud of you. And remember, we're only in this for fun, if we win, well that's just the icing on the cake," he grinned.

"You-you're proud of me?" She asked incredulously.

"Well I have said it after the audition round and the Challenger Round, but yes I am extremely proud of you and your mates for how dedicated you are to this and how quickly you three have picked up."

"Thank you Casey," Sweetie Belle gave a warming hug to her friend.

"Eh, no problem kiddo," Casey gladly returned the hug.

"Okay, so say we're in the middle of performing, and my stage-fright does get the best of me, what do I do?" Sweetie Belle worried, "because the trick of imagining everyone in their underwear doesn't work for me, it makes me feel like a pervert," she added.

"Let me tell you a little bit about your enemy, Stage-fright," Casey pointed to Sweetie. "He's only there to play tricks on your mind and make you think you're scared or terrible, and imagining everyone in their underwear may work for some people, but do you want to know what worked for me?" he asked.

"Wait_, you _had stage-fright?" Sweetie's jaw dropped.

"Oh, worse than yours," the Brit explained. "When I performed my first guitar solo for the public in England, my biggest fear was people thinking I was just a worthless imitator or that rock was dead and I was just wasting their time," Casey admitted. "The one thing that worked for me was imagining that everyone in the audience was the one person who encouraged me and pushed me to do my best and accomplish my goals: My mum," he smiled.

"So all I have to do if my stage-fright starts acting up is think of my mom?" The sixteen year old cocked her head.

"It can be, if she was the one who pushed you that is. Or it could even be Scootaloo, Applebloom or your sister Rarity if you want," Casey shrugged, "do whatever works because I _know_ in my heart that you can do this no sweat Sweetie Belle," Casey placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Is it okay if I imagine everyone as you?" Sweetie Belle squeaked out while Casey moved his hand to her back and softly rubbed it. The boy ceased rubbing her back and looked down at her curiously.

"M-me? Why me?" He questioned.

"Well, besides Vinyl and the rest of my friends, you're the one who really believed in me when my sister could care less, and you always helped me with my English homework. When I see you Casey, sometimes I think of you as a big brother who's looking out for me," Sweetie Belle admitted.

"I never pictured myself as a brother before," the Brit whispered, "but you, Scootaloo and Applebloom make great little sisters. It's a shame your real older siblings can't see that," Casey replied. "I'm honored Sweetie Belle," Casey gave her a tight hug again. "Now, do ya feel any better then?" He asked.

"Much, thank you Casey," Sweetie Belle softly pecked his cheek.

"No problem there," Casey helped her to her feet. The two almost had simultaneous heart attacks when Vinyl spoke out.

"Uh-oh, looks like I got a little competition for my man," the DJ teased and playfully yanked Casey away from Sweetie Belle. Casey chuckled and wrapped his arm around Vinyl's waist, pulling her closer.

"No girl can ever compare to you V," Casey kissed her neck.

"Guess we'll call it a night then," Scootaloo uncomfortably rubbed her arm.

"Yeah, Ah think we're good ta go Casey," Applebloom agreed, "'n Ah think you 'n Vinyl could use some alone time." The three Crusaders grabbed their spare bass, guitar and drumsticks.

"Alright then, see you girls tomorrow," Casey winked. "And Sweetie Belle," he added, causing her to turn around. "Just bring your all, that's all I care about," he grinned as Scootaloo opened the garage door. "You too Applebloom, you sounded great on the solo!"

"I will Casey, I won't let you down, promise!" Sweetie Belle stuck out her fist with her index and pinkie fingers extended to which Casey returned. As the garage door came to a gentle shut, Casey and Vinyl were left alone in said garage.

"So, what time did your mum and dad say you had to be home love?" The Brit escorted Vinyl into his living room and flipped on the TV.

"Oh, no later than 11," the DJ looked up at the digital clock on the wall that read 8:30.

"Perfect," Casey turned up the volume on _The Spy Who Shagged Me._

"You know," Vinyl played with Casey's black mullet, his arm and nibbled his ear lobe, "I thought it was sweet of you to encourage Sweetie Belle like that," she shook off her sunglasses that landed softly on top of the coffee table.

"She's like a little sister to me now Vinyl, all three of them," Casey relished Vinyl tracing his bicep and nibbling his ear lobe. "And the band is a family effort, not a solo effort," he added.

"It gets me so turned on the way you handle things so cooly," she flicked her tongue into his hear. Casey laughed as it tickled him.

"Oh, behave baby," Casey imitated Austin Powers as the two began to make out on the couch.

* * *

**(The Next Day. Canterlot Gym. 3rd Person POV)**

Every member of the student body shuffled their way into the Gymnasium. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna all sat down at their table while one of the 32" TVs showed off the eight bands that had made it to the Contender Round. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom this time decided to have their instruments in their eyesights at all times to prevent another demolition party. "Welcome students, please take your seats quickly so we can kick off the Contender Round!" Luna ordered into the microphone.

"Hey Casey," Fluttershy greeted her friend with a quick hug, "did Vinyl get the girls some new equipment?" She cheerfully asked.

"She sure did," he replied, "Vinyl never fails to come through for us," he winked at his girlfriend.

"That's good. How do you think you'll do today?" The meek girl sat down next to Casey. The Brit and his band took a look at the other six bands in the competition, ignoring themselves and the Rainbooms.

"I think we're gonna join you guys in the Eliminator Round!" Scootaloo said in a cocky manner. Fluttershy smiled and ruffled Scootaloo's purple hair. The drummer ducked low and fixed her hair style back to its 80s throwback style.

"Well, shred hard guys, I'll be rooting for you when you're on stage," she gave Casey one last hug before rejoining the Rainbooms. Casey tapped his chin several times as he studied Fluttershy sitting down next to the lavender girl whom was scribbling ferociously in her journal.

"Hey girls, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's on yer mind Casey?" Applebloom tightened her skull headband.

"Have you ever seen her," he pointed to the lavender girl who's name escaped him, "not scribbling something in that journal? I don't think it's a journal about a crush or anything," he pondered. Vinyl took a quick glance at Twilight before offering her thoughts.

"Eh, maybe she's worried about math homework or something," the milky white DJ thought. Shrugging, Casey cracked his knuckles a few times right as Gordy shut the gymnasium doors and Luna and Celestia took to the stage for their opening of the Contender Round. The ceiling lights dimmed, giving way to a smoke machine and lights from the stage for the drama club's play productions.

"Welcome students to round 2 of the Canterlot High Battle of the Bands," Luna declared.

"Or as we like to call it: The Contender Round!" Celestia joined in with a cheer. Every student in the gym applauded, cheered, whistled etc. except for the Dazzlings of course and the eight bands that were eliminated from the Challenger Round only a few days prior. The TV that showcased the names of the eight bands competing for the final four spots flickered to show clips of the Challenger Round.

"Ah didn't know the AV club videotaped the first round," Applejack scratched her head.

"Some bands triumphed," Luna continued while the video showed a clip of the Dazzlings, the Rainbooms, Trixie and the Illusions, Candied Heartstrings and Animal Instinct.

"Some barely made the cut," Celestia added, clips of Flash Sentry's band, Octavia and Bulk Biceps. Flash and his band had questionable expressions on their faces at being put under the 'Barely Made the Cut' category.

"And the rest, well you now have similarities with scissors," the vice principal joked while the TV monitor showed Slicers 'N Dicers, The Dark Horses, Flashbulb City, The Eco Kids, Fifty Below Zero, Atomic Mass, Diamond Spoons and Comedy and Tragedy. All members of the eight cut bands glared at their vice principal mocking their performances.

"Today we have the Contender Round. The second of the four rounds will have the remaining eight bands compete against each other for the honor of going to the penultimate round: The Eliminator Round!" Celestia announced as another TV monitor had four empty slots. "I'm more than positive that today's round will be just as good, if not better than the Challenger Round."

"Just who has what it takes to move on to our next round?" Luna asked the crowd. The remaining eight bands shot quick glances at each other before huddling with their own band mates.

"Well sister, there's only one way I know of to find out," Celestia took over the announcing from her baby sister. She produced a remote from her pocket and pushed a button, causing the screen of the first TV monitor to jumble up the remaining bands to determine the lineup order. The Rainbooms stopped talking amongst themselves momentarily to be prepared for their turn to go.

The names of the bands continued to scroll across the screen with the same motions and noises of a Las Vegas slot machine until all the bands came to a stop. "And the randomizer has determined the order in which our bands will play in!" Luna made the TV zoom in on the first band on the list.

_1) The Rainbooms_

_2) The Dazzlings_

_3) Bulk Biceps_

_4) Candied Heartstrings_

_5) Octavia_

_6) Trixie and the Illusions_

_7) Animal Instinct_

_8) The Flash Sentry Experience_

"And the Rainbooms are the first band to take the stage!" Celestia announced, "if the Rainbooms and the other seven bands will please take spots near the stage?" she politely asked. The remaining eight bands got up from the bleachers and proceeded to take spots near the stage entrance. All drummers grabbed their drum kits and pushed them behind stage until it was their band's turn to go and perform.

"Remember students," Luna said into the microphone, "it's really time to give your all, you wouldn't want to mess anything up," she reminded and sat down next to her elder sister. Sweetie Belle began to hyperventilate slightly at the fear of screwing things up for Casey and her band. She began to tremble and whimper a bit as well.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, look at me," Casey softly grasped her shoulders. The bassist turned temporary singer stopped her trembling and looked straight into Casey's pale green eyes. "I know you're nervous, but remember, imagine everyone as your favorite person, do your best and have fun," the Brit advised, "I'm still proud of you no matter what," he gave her a quick hug. Scootaloo, Vinyl and Applebloom kept stealing quick glances while Casey comforted his friend.

"Is everything going okay Sweetie Belle?" Rarity confronted Animal Instinct. Rarity's sister looked up from her hug with Casey to look at her sister.

"I'm fine, just a few butterflies in my tummy," she responded sweetly and innocently.

"Well don't worry, your big sister will be rooting for you when it's your turn to go on," she straightened out Sweetie Belle's wig.

"Will the Rainbooms please take the stage? We are ready for you," Luna told the pop band to get their asses in high gear.

"Oop, don't want to be late, break a leg Sweetie Belle!" She gave a little kiss on Sweetie's cheek before scurrying up to the stage. Sweetie Belle wiped her cheek with her hand and groaned.

"She always wears too much lipstick," she complained.

"Well, who is she trying to impress?" Casey questioned.

"No one really," Sweetie Belle explained before her face lit up with an idea. "Hey Casey, I think I can do something to help get more attention to our band, especially from boys," she thought. Casey looked down at her incredulously, fearful of what she was cooking up in her teenage mind.

"And what might that be Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom asked for Casey. Sweetie Belle responded by lowering the zipper on the front of her jumpsuit and stopped just as the opening revealed the top of her cleavage.

"What do you think?" She beamed.

"Absolutely fucking not!" Casey exclaimed and quickly got in front of the girl before anyone saw, "zip back up right now!" he growled. Having never seen an angry Casey before, Sweetie Belle briskly obeyed and zipped her zipper back to its original place near the bottom of her neckline. "What in Chuck Berry's name were you thinking?" the Brit demanded.

"Woah, I haven't seen you this angry since that Justin Bieber fan told you rock sucked," Vinyl commented.

"We agreed to never speak of that again," Casey shuddered.

"What's wrong Casey?" Sweetie Belle asked, "if there's one thing I learned from my older sister over the past two years: If you've got it, flaunt it," she explained. Casey groaned and face palmed.

"That's all fine and good for when you're 18 like Vinyl and your older sister, but you're only sixteen Sweetie Belle. You're beautiful in your own right and you don't need to be showing anything off to get a guy's attention," he tried his best not to raise his voice. "And besides, if Rarity saw that, she might think it was my idea and rip my balls off," he covered his manhood with his guitar at the thought.

"Hehe," Scootaloo snickered and Applebloom smacked her upside the head.

"Sorry Casey, I didn't mean to make you upset," Sweetie apologized.

"It's alright mate," Casey patted her shoulder, "just don't do that again, especially with your sister nearby," he looked over to see Rarity strapping on her Keytar. The Brit opened up a bottle of Pepsi and took a quick swig to get pumped early on before his performance with Animal Instinct.

"By the way," Scootaloo pondered, "who is Chuck Berry?" Casey responded to that with the classic spit-take.

* * *

**(The end of the Illusions' performance. 3rd person POV)**

_[Trixie]  
You better believe, I got tricks up my sleeve_

_[The Illusions]  
See me dominate_

_[Trixie and the Illusions]  
'Cause I'm powerful and greeeeeaaaaaaattt! YEAH!_

"Wonderful again ladies!" Celestia complimented while she and Luna jotted down their thoughts. Trixie and her goons grinned as they strutted off stage, acting like they had just discovered a cure for stupidity.

"And the most talented band knocks another home run out of the park!" Trixie bragged, shining her fingernails on her dress. Both The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct rolled their eyes at Trixie's massive ego that would make Draco Malfoy call her a bitch.

"Hey Trixie," Scootaloo jeered, "you know you can pick a different song right?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed, "you've done the same one three times in a row!"

"Why mess with success? That song is the best one anyone in this school can write," Trixie replied with a flick of her hair.

"If you can even call what you did an actual song," Casey joked, "you sounded like a bunch of twelve year old squeakers on Call of Duty fucking around with voice changers," he added. Trixie and her goons blushed in anger and stormed off.

"You'll rue the day you screwed with Trixie Lulamoon Casey Knight!" She threatened.

"I wouldn't screw you if you were the last girl on Earth and bathed yourself in an entire lifetime's supply of Pepsi!" Casey retorted.

"Oh man, THAT was hilarious!" Applejack and Vinyl guffawed at Casey's joke.

"Okay, next up, the 80s style throwback band, Animal Instinct!" Luna announced for the gym.

"WHOO-HOO! GO ANIMAL INSTINCT!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down happily. "What?" She asked when her bandmates, save for Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmer, cocked their eyebrows. "I like their intensity," the bubbly drummer admitted.

"Shred it Casey," Fluttershy removed her tambourine from her face to wave at Casey.

"Thanks Flutters," Casey winked at her as his band took to the stage. Everyone got into position, though Sweetie Belle still looked a tad nervous. The Brit removed his guitar from its case and strapped it over his shoulder and plugged it into his Peavy amp. "Now everyone, before we begin, I just want to say this brilliant song was written by our lovely bass player, Sweetie Belle," he gestured to his friend whom pursed her lips in anxiety. The gym gave a quick blip of applause, waiting for Casey and his band to start. "And instead of me being the lead singer, Sweetie Belle here will do the honors; she has a beautiful voice and I hope you all enjoy it," he shot a wink in her direction as she strapped on her new bass and took center stage.

Casey stood off to the left of Sweetie Belle, normally where she would be standing if he were the lead singer. Applebloom stood in her normal spot, to the right of the lead singer while Vinyl had her keyboard setup right next to Scootaloo's drum kit. Casey looked back at his girlfriend and Scootaloo, giving them a nod which they returned, indicating they were ready. Applebloom shot him a nod as well, leaving only Sweetie Belle become prepared.

The nervous bassist looked outwards to the audience, seeing every pair of eyes looking at her, not moving away. She gulped as a few beads of sweat dripped down her forehead while her stomach began to knot itself. She shut her eyes and re-opened them several times until she saw everyone in the audience turn into Scootaloo, Applebloom, Vinyl and Casey. Her breathing returned to normal and her heart rate lowered until she could no longer feel it pounding in her chest.

"I'm ready," she mouthed to Casey and Scootaloo. Casey gave her a thumbs up and sent another nod Scootaloo's way. The drummer cricked her neck and tapped her drumsticks together four times before stepping on the bass pedal several times. After that, Casey, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Vinyl joined in with their respective instruments. Vinyl also clicked a button on her keyboard that played a soundbite of hands clapping that synchronized with Scootaloo's drumming.

Sweetie Belle played her bass with no problem, but she still gulped hard when it was her time to start singing. However, when she opened her mouth, a new wave of confidence hit her square in the chest.

_I saw him dancing there by the record machine_  
_I knew he must have been about seventeen_

Vinyl, Casey, Scootaloo and Applebloom all smiled proudly when Sweetie Belle began to sing her out while flawlessly playing her bass. The keyboardist clicked another button as two spotlights flickered on and bathed Sweetie Belle in a yellow light. Casey began to bang his head as his fingers danced across the metallic strings of his guitar.

_The beat was going strong_  
_Playing my favorite song_

Both Casey and Applebloom slowly pressed down on their whammy bars to make the word song more drawn out and slower.

_And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
yeah me_

_[Sweetie Belle]_  
_And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
yeah me_

_[Sweetie Belle]  
Singing,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with me_

_[Sweetie Belle]  
Ow!_

Like last time, Vinyl pushed some more buttons on her keyboard and several lasers shot out, surrounding Sweetie Belle's outline with every color of a rainbow. The new lead singer was really getting into it. She began to bang her head and pop her hips out/

_[Sweetie Belle]  
He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name_  
_But that don't matter, he said, 'cause it's all the same_  
_He said, "Can I take you home_  
_Where we can be alone?"_  
_And next we were moving on, he was with me,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
yeah me_

_[Sweetie Belle]  
Next we were moving on, he was with me,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
yeah me_

_Singing, I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with me_

_[Sweetie Belle]  
Ow!_

Instead of Casey performing the guitar solo, Applebloom jogged up next to Sweetie Belle, planting her left foot behind her and bending backwards with her guitar sitting upwards in a vertical position. Casey continued to play the normal guitar beat, dropping down to his knees and shaking his head back and forth. His sweat was flying off his mullet while shaking his head.

Sweetie Belle planted her right foot down, kicking up her left leg and spinning a few times while she strummed her bass before stopping, facing the crowd and continuing to sing without missing a beat. Casey hopped up from his knees and scooted over to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle with his back to them to form their classic triangle of eighteen sixteen strings.

_[Sweetie Belle]_

_He said, "Can I take you home_  
_Where we can be alone?"_

Again, both Applebloom and Casey slowly pushed down their whammy bars to give a 'wa-wa' effect on the word alone.

_Next we're moving on, he was with me,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
yeah me_  
_[Sweetie Belle]  
And we'll be moving on and singing that same old song,_

_[Animal Instinct]  
yeah with me_

_[Sweetie Belle]  
Singing_

Sweetie Belle, Casey and Applebloom swung their instruments off to the sides of their bodies with their hands raised as Vinyl's hands abandoned her keyboard, leaving only Scootaloo to play her instrument by kicking the bass pedal. Instead of playing their instruments, Sweetie Belle, Casey, Applebloom and Vinyl joined in with the soundbites of hand clapping.

_[Animal Instinct]  
I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with me_

Suddenly, Casey, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom spun their guitars and bass back to their fronts at about the speed of light and their hands became blurs of motion while strumming ferociously.

_I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with_

_I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with_

By this time, Vinyl resumed playing her keyboard with only one hand as she had the classic rock symbol with her index and pinkie fingers extended. Her hand and fingers moved so fast, it was like she injected them with speed.

_I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with_

_I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with me_

All the members of Animal Instinct threw up their right hands as the song ended, the front three flinging up guitar picks while Scootaloo flung up one of her drumsticks and caught it when it came back down.

"Amazing! Well done!" Celestia complimented while both her and Luna clapped and applauded. Casey, Applebloom, Vinyl and Scootaloo surrounded Sweetie Belle in a huge group hug as they congratulated their friend.

"Alright, alright, off the stage!" Luna shouted into the microphone while Flash's band waited impatiently for their turn. Animal Instinct grabbed their gear and vacated the area while Flash's band got setup.

"Way ta go Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom gave Sweetie a bone-crushing hug, making her gasp for air and turn blue. She coughed as Applebloom let her go.

"You were so awesome, just like Stevie Nicks!" Scootaloo slapped her in the back. Sweetie yelped in surprise and rubbed her sore back as Casey warmly hugged her.

"I'm so proud of you Sweetie Belle," the Brit knelt down to her height, "you nailed it and went even beyond my expectations. I knew you could do it," he hugged her again to which she returned.

"Thank you Casey. I never could've done this without your encouragement," the 16 year old thanked as Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack appeared.

"Another great job guys, second best band here," Rainbow both complimented and bragged at the same time. Nobody really paid attention as Flash Sentry and his band played a soft ballad.

"You mean there's another band called Animal Instinct here?" Scootaloo joked with her sister.

"Ah was so pleased ta hear ya playin' the guitar solo this time Applebloom," Applejack gave her sister a noogie, "ya done killed those strings 'o yers," she added. Sighing, Applebloom untied her skull headband and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Oh my darling little sister can sing like an angel!" Rarity squeezed Sweetie Belle so hard her 80s wig fell off, "well, an angel with the teeniest hint of devil in her voice," the fashionista corrected.

"Well, it _was_ a rock song Rarity," Casey pointed out, "you gotta have a little intensity in your voice if you wanna be a rock star, unless of course you're singing a song like that," he pointed his thumb back towards Flash Sentry.

"Which by the way Casey's written a few of those," Vinyl teased as she wrapped her arms around the guitarist's waist. He blushed as a secret he kept even from the Crusaders was let out.

"That's okay Casey, no need to be embarrassed," Fluttershy smiled, "I remember when you wrote a song for me when we were in third grade," she reminisced.

"Oh, so the big, bad British rocker wrote some ballads huh?" Rainbow teased Casey.

"Yeah so? What's it to you Rainbow _Trash?_" he said under his breath which no one else heard.

"Yep, it was called _The Flame _Rainbow," Fluttershy dug around her backpack and pulled out a binder that had a music sheet inserted into the front plastic. "It's a great song about friends being there for each other," the meek girl showed it to her friends.

"I thought it was a love song! When did it turn into a friendship song?" Pinkie yanked the binder away to get a closer look.

"Y-you kept this after all these years?" Casey asked, flabbergasted.

"Of course Casey," Fluttershy softly smiled, "I always kept this with me when you had to move back to London; it made me feel like you were still with me," she let a small tear slip from her eye.

"Aw, come here Flutters," the Brit embraced his best friend ever. Pinkie Pie jammed the binder back into Fluttershy's backpack just as Flash's band ended their song.

"Haha, take that Animal Idiots and Raintraitors," Flash mocked Casey's band and gave Twilight the stink-eye, causing her to shrink back behind her binder and her dog to rub up against her arm while Sunset held her.

"Hey, you watch how you talk to a girl before I take your guitar and jam it up your arse!" Casey warned Flash.

"Just for the record, I think both bands hit it out of the park," Sunset blushed, not knowing if it was her turn to talk.

"Well thank you Sunrise right?" Casey pointed towards the fiery haired girl.

"Sunset," she corrected. "And at any rate, I think right now both The Rainbooms and you guys," she pointed back at Casey, "are the biggest threat to dethrone the Dazzlings," she slipped before covering her mouth. Every member of The Rainbooms froze and held their breath.

"Yeah, it seems the principals are favoring those new girls," Sweetie Belle agreed.

"And I always thought they didn't like any students over any others," Applebloom tacked on her two cents.

"We'll just have to show those two that there are at least four other quality music groups," Vinyl added. "Us, Rainbooms, Candied Heartstrings and Octavia." Suddenly, Celestia and Luna reappeared on stage with the TV remote in hand.

"Attention students, after tallying up our scores, we have determined which four bands shall be moving forward to the penultimate round!" Celestia announced. Animal Instinct and the Rainbooms quickly jogged back to their seats, awaiting the sisters' determined scores.

"The first band moving on to no surprise is: The Dazzlings!" Luna declared. The trio of girls looked smugly down at the student body from their resting place atop the bleachers and slowly gave each other low-fives. Both Casey and Rainbow took quick looks at Trixie whom was looking at herself in her tiny makeup mirror and pushed her hair up.

"The second band to qualify for the Eliminator Round: Trixie and the Illusions!" The magician smiled pompously with her eyes closed and arms folded across her breasts. If there was one thing that Casey and Rainbow could agree on, it was that Trixie was too full of herself.

"And our third band that moves on: The Rainbooms!" Celestia selected the Rainbooms' name and logo and clicked it, moving both onto the third TV monitor to join the Dazzlings and Trixie and the Illusions. "Now with only one spot left and five bands that could fill it, who was good enough to join the three other bands that qualified?" Celestia took over stirring the drama pot for her sister.

Bulk Biceps chewed on his nails nervously.

Lyra and Bon Bon held each other and trembled in fear.

Octavia clenched her bow so tight that it snapped in half, yet she failed to notice.

Flash and his band grinned and stood up, awaiting their name to be called.

And Animal Instinct sat in their seats, not moving an inch or even breathing as everyone in the audience awaited the announcement. Finally, Celestia opened her mouth with a breath to reveal the last band to qualify.

"Flash Sentry," she announced.

"HELL YES! WE DID IT BOYS!" Flash jumped up and pumped his fists in the air. His band mates high-fived and stood up to join their lead guitarist.

"Your mother dropped off this doctor's note for you," Celestia pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket.

"What?" He said in reply.

"ANIMAL INSTINCT QUALIFIES FOR THE ELIMINATOR ROUND!" Luna shouted into the mic, causing everyone to cover their ears. Casey picked up Scootaloo by the waist and held her in the air as all the members celebrated with high-fives and cheering.

"This calls for milkshakes at Sugar Cube Corner!" Casey declared.

"I'm so happy for you Casey!" Fluttershy actually shouted and clapped.

"Th-this is BULLSHIT! How could you pick those talentless losers over my musical genius?! This clown wouldn't be fit to tune Eddie Van Halen's guitar!" Flash angrily objected and pointed to Casey.

"Calm down Flash Sentry, we just felt Animal Instinct is a more consistent sounding band than you and much more original," Celestia explained.

"I can't believe I lost out to Rock and Roll!" Octavia complained. "This is truly devastating!"

"Aw come on Tavi, you still rocked that cello!" Casey complimented.

"ONLY VINYL CAN CALL ME THAT!" Octavia shouted in Casey's face before storming off.

"Noooo!" Bulk Biceps sadly put his violin in its case as Derpy comforted him.

"I need some chocolate Bonnie," Lyra wiped her tears away while her girlfriend hugged her.

"Congratulations to The Dazzlings, Trixie and the Illusions, The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct on surviving this round," Luna clapped for the four bands. "Just remember, tomorrow is the Eliminator Round and only two bands can make it out alive..."

"So bring your A-Game and have fun!" Celestia cheerfully announced before switching off the microphone.

* * *

**(Sugar Cube Corner)**

"Well girls, I'd like to congratulate both bands on making it this far," Casey raised his milkshake glass in a toast, "and I'd like to say I believe both bands will be going head to head for the Championship tomorrow night," he added as all twelve members of the bands clinked their glasses together.

"Agreed, this has been a friendly competition so far," Fluttershy said, "and if both bands can get to the finals, then we'll all be winners!" She cheerfully added. Everyone except Twilight took sips of their shakes.

"Hey Twilight," Applebloom spoke up.

"Yes?" the lavender girl failed to look up from her journal.

"Why do ya always have yer nose buried in that journal 'o yers?" she questioned. Twilight ceased writing and slowly put her journal away in her backpack while avoiding pushing her dog off her lap.

"I always thought dogs couldn't have milkshakes," Casey eye-balled Spike as he slurped up a small vanilla shake with rainbow sprinkles.

"As long as it's not chocolate it's safe for him," Fluttershy explained. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as attention was diverted away from her journal.

"Uh Casey right? Is Sweetie Belle going to be singing the next song?" Twilight asked.

"Nope, that was a one-time thing," Sweetie Belle quickly replied, sipping her shake and darting her eyes around.

"I still think you did wonderful darling," Rarity wiped some shake off Sweetie's chin with a napkin.

"Rainbow, I was hoping you'd sing one of my song's for the Eliminator Round?" Fluttershy asked with hope in her eyes.

"Yeah, come on Rainbow, Fluttershy is one helluva song writer," Casey grinned.

"LANGUAGE!" Rarity snapped.

"Why do you care Knight? Don't you just like rock music?" Rainbow set her glass down.

"I happen to appreciate a lot of forms of music, especially if Flutters wrote the song, which you should perform; you girls would definitely secure a spot in the finals," Casey replied.

"Eh maybe, I'm really leaning towards Awesome as I wanna be," the athlete casually sipped her shake. Fluttershy sank down sadly in her seat, worrying Casey.

"Let me guess," the Brit set down his glass rather hard, "_you_ wrote that song?"

"Yep, my many talents include songwriting as well as sports, singing and guitar playing," Rainbow bragged.

"Casey's a way better guitar player than you sis," Scootaloo chimed in. Rainbow spat out her drink, covering Vinyl in strawberry milkshake. Casey grabbed the napkin holder on the table and handed a wad to his girlfriend who angrily cleaned off her sunglasses.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow screeched.

"Shhh, quiet please," Mrs. Cake shushed the cyan teenager.

"How could you say that Scootaloo? You know I'm the best guitar player in the whole school," Rainbow glared.

"You can think that, but at least Casey's solos are more complex and he writes them differently. All of your solos sound so similar," Scootaloo crossed her arms. Rainbow's jaw dropped and her eye twitched.

"Now, now Scootaloo, thanks for the compliment but I think Rainbow Dash's solos are very impressive too," Casey tried to keep his cool.

"If I was able to go all out, you wouldn't stand a chance against me Knight," Rainbow growled.

"Have we all forgotten this is supposed to be a _fun_ competition?!" Pinkie Pie reminded everyone, "has everybody forgotten the word even?!"

"I'm trying to keep it fun Pinkie," Casey stood up with Vinyl, "it's Rainbow that keeps trying to make it into a contest; there's not even a cash prize!" He added.

"Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked.

"To practice our song for the semi-final round Fluttershy, I'll text you tonight," Casey escorted his band out of the cafe.

"Fluttershy, why do you even hang out with him?" Rainbow asked, "he's really a know-it-all about music and is such a sarcastic ass!" Fluttershy gasped at Rainbow's outburst of her longtime friend.

"Ah have ta agree Fluttershy," Applejack piped up, "Casey is just really stern 'n harsh towards others, 'cept you, Vinyl 'n our sisters," she dug around her milkshake glass with a spoon.

"Not to mention his foul-mouth and immature attitude," Rarity exclaimed.

"He writes and plays songs about being loose and having fun, but he's kind of uptight too," Pinkie agreed.

"Maybe if you girls gave him a chance instead of pushing him away," Fluttershy countered.

"We tried! He doesn't care about us Fluttershy," Rainbow revealed to her friend. "I think you should just cut ties with him." Fluttershy covered her ears and whimpered.

"You girls just don't know Casey like I do," she cried

**End Chapter 7**

* * *

_Uh-oh. There's some bad blood among the Rainbooms about Casey! Will that resurface? What song will Casey and Animal Instinct perform? Find out in the Eliminator Round, next!_

_I do NOT own I love Rock 'N Roll remade by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts._


	8. Chapter 8: A Chat in the Dark

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 8: Chat in the Dark**

_Okay, so this chapter takes place directly before the Eliminator Round. I promise that Chapter 9 WILL host the Eliminator Round and that I've been saving one of my all-time favorite hard rock songs. Basically, this chapter has The Dazzlings cornering Casey in one of the many dark corners of the school to try and threaten him because of an interesting occurrence that happened near the end of Animal Instinct's Contender Round song..._

**Dante Watterson: **_Hmm, I'm still not sure if Break a Leg is only used for theatre or if it too applies to anything involving stage. Anyway thanks for the compliment._

**Guest (1): **_Yeah, the joke's been done many a time before, but it's such a classic so I used it. _

**LinkonPark100:** _They do, but they still really don't like him for reasons they stated. Sunset however __has no problem with him and neither does Twilight._

**UpgraderIsAwesome489:** _Thank you. I liked the original Rainbow Rocks, but as I've stated before, there was little to no Rock music with the exception of Awesome as I wanna be. Trying to improve what was already awesome isn't easy as I've still tried to keep the same plot without changing too much. _

**Wolfdragon:** _You're gonna feel bad (especially Fluttershy) if anyone makes fun of your favorite friend. Animal Instinct is the only band actually rocking out. And sorry, no Beatles in this story, though Paul McCartney is one of my favorite __bassists right behind Michael Anthony and Rick Savage._

**SleepAroundTheClock:** _Yes it was, but the rest of the band has just been keeping that from Fluttershy for awhile. Even though the rest of the band agrees Rainbow's been a pain in the ass lately, they (except Fluttershy) think he's even worse because of his sarcastic attitude. _

**FrostGuardianX7:** _Casey's been getting positive reception and I'm really happy for that. I did NOT want to create Flash 2.0 as from what I've seen, the majority of the fandom despises Flash. Sunset hasn't said anything bad about Casey. I'll do my best and then some._

**Guest (2):** _No_

_As some of you may have noticed, the cover for Get Your Rock On has changed. What you now see is the all new logo for my fictional band, Animal Instinct. I know most of it IS cut off, but if you go to my profile and copy and paste my photobucket URL, then you'll be able to see the full band logo, what it looks like on a drum kit AND a pony version of Casey dancing with Vinyl Scratch's pony version. Also, if the logo were to be see in magnet form in the movie on the huge whiteboard in the Gymnasium, the letters would be gone and all that remains would be the cheetah eyes and the three claw marks._

_Be forewarned, if you can't handle clever insults and double entendres, you have been warned. _

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Animal Instinct's Performance The Previous Day)**

The Dazzlings sat in their normal spot atop the bleachers, away from all the other members of the student body in the gymnasium. Usually, the trio would be relishing in the fact that they had so easily manipulated the two principals of the school and just about every student as well. Usually, Adagio would be mentally patting herself on the back, congratulating no one but herself on a job well done for taking away even more hatred brewing up between the students in exchange for more power for her, Aria and Sonata's gems.

Usually, Aria would be popping bubblegum with her legs and arms crossed, a scowl on her face, thinking that she should be in charge since Adagio was in command when they had been banished and it had taken the trio thousands of years to even come across enough anger and negative energy. And usually, Sonata would be beating her head to the rhythm of the song or gushing over Casey Knight becoming sweatier by the minute.

_I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with_

However, things had begun to change for the Dazzlings. "W-what the?!" Adagio exclaimed as she felt her power _weakening_ rather than strengthening. Since only the three Dazzlings could see the magical energy entering their gems, they were still the only ones able to see the aura leaving their gems as well. "M-my beautiful power, what's happening?!" She freaked out.

"I feel empty," Sonata whined and clutched her gem.

"Adagio," Aria growled, "you said this was impossible," she reminded her ringleader.

"I never said it was impossible Aria," Adagio corrected, "I said it was unlikely that someone could drain our power." The three looked back up from their gems as their precious green energy flowed downwards and back into the student body. The golden leader glared at Casey Knight as he and two of his bandmates stood in their popular triangle formation. "It appearers we've underestimated one of the bands girls."

"Way to do research," Aria popped her gum and rolled her eyes simultaneously. Adagio threateningly raised her fist to her bandmate and told her to shut up.

_I love rock and roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock and roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with me!_

"So, what are we gonna do girls?" Sonata scratched her head. "Do what we did the last time Rock 'N Roll got in our way?" The puffy haired leader of the Dazzlings put her thumb and index finger onto her chin and gave it a few squeezes.

"No, I think a little chat is in order with Mr. Knight. Cut off the head girls, and the body dies soon after," her mouth curved into a malicious smile as Animal Instinct finished their song and formed a group hug.

* * *

**(CHS Gymnasium The Next Day) **

"Okay, 1, 2, 3 and say cheese!" Featherweight clicked his finger on his camera button for the school paper. The remaining four bands all stood on stage together, posing in each of their respective groups for the front page of the school newspaper. From stage left to right, the order was: The Dazzlings, Trixie and the Illusions, The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct. In the middle of Animal Instinct, Casey stood holding his guitar up by the neck while Sweetie Belle and Applebloom did the same with their guitar and bass.

"Be sure to save Trixie's picture for her victory collage of the front page tomorrow," the leader of Trixie and the Illusions bragged, causing every member of The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct to mentally strangle her. "Oh, don't be so jealous, you eleven shouldn't even be in the final four. Principal Celestia should've cut the bands from eight to two instead of four." Trixie shined her fingernails while Featherweight put his camera away.

"Good luck tonight guys," he wished all four bands and winked at Applebloom, eliciting a blush to form on her cheeks.

"Trixie, just save it fer the Eliminator Round," Applejack shook her fist at the 'magician' and her goons. Said goons stuck their tongues out at the country girl, making her growl in anger and frustration. Before anyone else could say anything, Principal Celestia entered the gymnasium with a confident smile on her face. Every student, Dazzlings included, stood at attention for the kind faculty member.

"I just wanted to stop by before sending you all back to class and say thank you for putting on such fantastic performances for our school," she complimented, "it's been a blast listening to such raw talent from our own students." Rainbow smirked and chuckled egotistically.

"No prob Principal C," she bragged, "_my_ band has been giving itself 120% just for you and Vice Principal Luna," she winked.

"And we can see that. Especially from you five," the principal gestured to Animal Instinct, "my sister and I love to see the the spirit of the 80s still alive in some of our students. It's good to get a flash of nostalgia every now and again." Trixie glared daggers at Animal Instinct while they received Celestia's compliment. "Now, all of you, back to class now or I will force to write you up for skipping," she warned and headed back out of the gym. The Dazzlings disappeared to wherever they went to chat, leaving the other three bands alone.

"Alright ladies, take it easy today, and I've got a surprise for ya before the Eliminator Round after school," Casey winked whilst stuffing his guitar back inside his guitar case. Even Vinyl was curious as to what surprise her boyfriend had in store for the band. Needless to say, Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all wanted to burst with excitement at the mention of a surprise from Casey. "Just a little hint, you all deserve a reward for working your asses off to get _our_," Casey raised the volume of his voice so Rainbow would hear, "band this far in the competition." he patted their backs.

"So that's the only reason you rejects have made it this far," Trixie jumped in front of the five band members, pointing her fingers at them. Casey and the Crusaders stopped in their tracks, but Vinyl moved to the front of the group. "Just because Luna and Celestia are still stuck in the 80s, I knew it couldn't have been because of this 'music,'" she air quoted, "that you play. If they were able to take off their nostalgia goggles, you five wouldn't have even made it through your audition song," she belittled.

"Trixie," Vinyl warned, "just move before you embarrass yourself," the DJ advised.

"Ha, what in the world could you possibly do to me Vinyl Suck?" Trixie treaded deadly waters. Vinyl leaned closer to the magician, so close their noses almost touched. In a flash, Vinyl had her headphones on Trixie's ears and cranked the volume all the way up, making the girl go insane.

"TRIXIE'S BEAUTIFUL EARDRUMS!" Trixie collapsed to her knees in pain and ripped the headphones off. "You're gonna pay for that Scratch!" Trixie threatened. "And as for you Knight," she pointed back at the Brit, "maybe once Luna and Celestia stop sucking the dick of the 80s, they'll see how much _you_ suck," she grinned and chuckled like the Joker.

"HEY! Watch your language in front of my bandmates!" Casey yelled at the magician.

"Later losers," Trixie flipped the bird and dropped a smoke bomb, causing everyone to cough and sputter.

"I hate that stupid trick," Scootaloo coughed. When said smoke cleared, Pinkie Pie gasped.

"She's _GONE_!" She exclaimed fearfully. "Oh, wait," the drummer pointed to behind the bleachers, "there she is!" Trixie mentally cursed before throwing her cape in front of her face and dashing out of the gym with her goons.

"I think those peanut butter crackers have finally gone to her head," Casey shook his own head back and forth.

"She's always been a bit 'nutty' to us," Sweetie Belle cracked a joke. Her bandmates all shared a round of hearty laughter before the laughing died down.

"We _should_ get back ta class before Ms. Cheerilee gives us detention," Applebloom urged her friends.

"Yeah and Mr. Discord gets really irritated if any of his students are late," Vinyl grimaced. Casey slung his guitar case under his arm and held his backpack in his hand, giving a look to Fluttershy. The shy girl waved to him as he walked over and gave her a quick hug.

"Good luck tonight Flutters, I'll see you during the competition," he patted her back.

"Same for you Casey," the girl smiled, "I'm sure you'll be one of the bands that makes it to the finals," the two broke the hug. As Animal Instinct left the gymnasium, The Rainbooms had an unfortunate order for Fluttershy. Softly lacing her hand onto Fluttershy's shoulder, Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.

"Look Fluttershy, you know how we feel about Casey," the guitarist and lead singer recalled the band's late night talk about Casey. Fluttershy hated how her current friends talked about her oldest friend, so she hid behind her backpack.

"But it's the semi-finals tonight," Applejack continued for Rainbow Dash.

"Yes darling, and it's time for all of us to focus more than ever. And I hate saying this, but you should avoid Casey at all costs until the competition is over and those nasty Dazzlings are gone," Rarity concluded.

"E-even just to have our little after school chats?" Fluttershy stuttered from behind her backpack.

"Yes, we can't have you blowing your concentration hanging out with Mr. Sarcastic pants," Pinkie Pie air quoted. Fluttershy peered over her backpack, tears threatening to burst from her eyes.

"Besides, once we beat him and Trixie and make it to the finals, he'll at least be out of your hair for one more night, then you can hang out with him again," Sunset offered a little ray of hope to the tambourine player.

"B-but, what if his band beats _us?_" Fluttershy stuttered, wiping tears from her eyes. Applejack and Rainbow chuckled and hugged Fluttershy.

"Yeah, that won't ever happen," Applejack said.

"Even though our sisters have gotten very talented at their instruments," Rarity joined in.

"My amazing guitar skills and Steven Tyler-like vocals can assure we'll beat Mr. Mullet Fluttershy," Rainbow bragged. "Once the Principals tally the scores after school today, Casey will have shredded his last riff in the competition and then nothing will stand in our way of kicking those sorry sirens' butts."

* * *

**(With Casey. 3rd Person POV)**

Right as the bell rang at 3:00 PM, signaling the end of the school day, Casey quickly threw his school supplies into his locker and dashed out of Canterlot High School to run into town and pick up the surprise he had for Vinyl, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom. "Excuse me," The Brit called when he entered a custom clothing store.

"Yes, can I help you?" The lady behind the counter set down her box and approached the counter.

"Yeah, T-Shirt order for Casey Knight," the guitarist leaned against the counter with a charming grin that only the English could give. The woman behind the counter scanned her list of orders before finding Casey's name near the top.

"Okay, they should be done, I'll go get them," she set her clipboard down on the counter and disappeared into the back. Checking his watch, Casey shook his head worry free; he still had nearly 45 minutes just to check in to the Eliminator Round and an hour before the event even started.

Sighing and drumming his fingers across the nearly empty counter, Casey's ears perked up when the radio behind the counter caught his attention. _'She probably won't mind if I adjust the volume,' _he thought. Peering around to see if the store manager could see him or not, Casey gently twisted the volume knob up higher.

"Hey! No customers behind the counter!" The managers voice nearly gave the Brit a heart attack. "What do you think you're doing?" She demanded, slamming down the box of shirts onto the counter.

"I was just turning the music up higher to listen to," Casey explained as the radio began to play Queen's _We Are the Champions__. _"See? Even changed it to classic rock for ya," he winked. The manager, whose name tag read _Sarah_, gave him a stern look before opening the box of shirts.

"Have these shirts come out the way you desired?" Sarah questioned. Casey took one from the box and held it in front of his face. A smile crept across his face as he studied the image on the black shirt. On the black shirt, a faded cheetah eye line with piercing yellow eyes stared back at him with three bloody claw marks going down the middle of the shirt, right between the cheetah eyes. Above the eyes was the word _Animal_, written in the the same font used by Def Leppard: Pyrite font. Below the eyes was the second word in his band's name written in the same pyrite font: Instinct.

"They're perfect, thank you!" Casey thanked, folded the shirt back up, stuffed it into the box and handed a $50 bill to the manager. As Sarah made the change for Casey's payment, she pursed her lips as she could still see the logo on the shirt from the open box. She could have sworn she'd heard the name Animal Instinct from somewhere else, but where?

"So, is this a little band for you and your friends, a club name or something?" She questioned, handing him back a $10 bill. Casey jammed the bill into his wallet and grabbed the box in his arms.

"It's the name of my band over at Canterlot High, we made it to the finals and I decided to reward my bandmates for working their butts off," he explained to Sarah and opened the door of the T-Shirt shop with his shoulder. "Thanks again ma'am," Casey repeated and left the little shop. The shop manager snapped her fingers and jogged back to her office and stopped right in front of a book case. Scanning her index finger over numerous spines, she came to a halt when her finer pointed at the particular book she was looking for.

"I _knew_ I'd heard that name somewhere before," she pulled out a book titled _Animal Instinct: The Def Leppard Story._ "And I thought kids in this town hated classic music." As Casey walked along the street with the big T-Shirt box in his arms, he couldn't help but think about the future of Animal Instinct. He loved Vinyl of course, but he enjoyed rocking out with her and the Crusaders. But the big question that still lingered over his head was: Will this competition be it?

Casey wondered what would become of his bandmates and the band one they were done in the Battle of the Bands whether they got eliminated in the semi finals or they won or finished second in the Championship Round. Things between him and Vinyl have never been better; they would still be together for as long as both could see. As the Brit rounded a street corner, he could feel eyes following his every movement. He could feel goosebumps forming on his grey skin and his pulse count increase slightly. Stealing a quick glance behind himself, Casey studied the sidewalk area he had just walked by and found only a few people standing and talking, but none were even paying attention to him.

"Meh, just a bit of the willies Mate," he talked to himself, "don't need to be worrying about anything right now." The guitarist continued walking along the sidewalk back towards the school, resuming his thoughts on the fate of his band. Casey was not afraid to admit it, but if the band would be no more after the school's competition, a few tears would be shed from his eyes.

Maybe thinking like this was wrong, but after the Contender Round, Casey had a daydream of twenty years in the future where Animal Instinct had produced nearly ten albums, was a worldwide concert best seller, had numerous gold, platinum and diamond records and was at least on par with Aerosmith, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. But the two things Casey _really_ wanted out of all that was his band was still a close knit group of friends and they would still be having fun.

However, Casey knew not to think too far ahead into the future; plans can change, life can change and old friends could say goodbye to each other forever. The Brit would absolutely hate to have to say goodbye to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom, but he also understood that they had other interests they wanted to pursue and he would support them every step of the way. As for he and Vinyl, Casey loved her to death, but he didn't want to jinx anything by thinking of him and her tying the knot too soon.

"HEY! Will you move your ass already?!" A sharp voice shattered Casey's thinking. "You've been clear to walk for five minutes!" the voice said again. Casey looked behind him to see Diamond Tiara's father, Mr. Rich, impatiently stamping his foot, urging the Brit to move faster.

"You know, you could have walked around me Mr. Rich," Casey pointed out as he and Filthy crossed the crosswalk.

"Oh you stuck up Brits think you're so smart don't you?" The wealthy man grumbled.

"Well, at least it's obvious where your daughter gets her asshole attitude," Casey spat. Filthy grabbed the back of Casey's collar and yanked him back so hard that a large tear appeared halfway down Casey's back. "WHAT THE HELL!? THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SHIRT ASSHOLE!" Casey yelled and got out of the rich man's grip. His Union Jack tank top was destroyed and fell off his body.

"If you ever talk about my daughter like that again you little shit, I'll buy your house from your bank and put your ass on the street, do you understand me?" He glared, "I've got plenty of money to spare!" He kicked the remains of Casey's tank top into a nearby sewer drain. So much anger boiled up inside Casey, but he took a deep breath and calmed down. Picking up his box again, the two went their separate ways.

"Fucking needle dick," Casey muttered when Filthy was out of earshot. Checking his watch again, Casey started to jog towards the High School as he only had ten minutes to check in to the Eliminator Round. "Eh, I'll put on one of these once we get checked in," Casey eyed the box of shirts. The mullet haired teenager put the box under his arm and opened a door to the school. The door shut with an eerie echo in the hallway. _'Odd,'_ Casey pondered. Normally there'd still be a few kids hanging out in the hallways just talking or listening to music after school hours, especially with the semi-final round today.

But there was nary a student in sight. Just dimly lit hallways and creepy shadows that seemed to stare at the Brit as his footsteps were the only noise reverberating off the dead walls. Not even Gordy was around. "Everyone must already be in the gym, oh well," he shrugged and turned a corner into a hallway that lead to a side door to the gymnasium. Yet, when he looked up from his box, Casey stopped in his tracks.

"Hello Knight," Adagio's eyes and teeth stood out like the cat from Alice in Wonderland as she looked evilly at the rockstar. All three Dazzlings appeared from the darkened back area of the hallway to a better lit area of the hallway. Adagio still had her evil grin on her face, Aria had an angry stare on her face and Sonata had a blissful smile on her face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the puffy haired trio," Casey chortled, "what do you want?" He questioned.

"Puffy haired trio?" Aria ceased smacking her gum, "says the wanker who has a mullet," she shot back. Casey knew where this was heading and careful set the box down on the floor.

"Wanker? Is that really the best insult you can come up with you bubblegum popping _taco grinder?"_ The Brit smirked. Aria's gum popped loudly and covered her entire mouth as she coughed at the insult.

"E-excuse me?!" Aria finally caught her breath.

"Mmm, tacos," Sonata drooled like Homer Simpson. Adagio rolled her eyes and mentally face palmed at the reactions from her fellow sirens regarding Casey's insult. The lead Dazzling kept her composure and began to encircle Casey.

"What do we want Knight? We're just here to tell you that you won't be one of the bands going on to the Championship Round tonight," Adagio teased.

"And what makes you say that Ms. Cheetos Hair?" The Brit folded his arms across his chest.

"Do you think anyone really gives two shits about Rock 'N Roll anymore Knight?" Adagio flicked her finger under Casey's chin, momentarily startling him. "It's 2014, Rock has been dead since the mid 90s, thanks to Pop and Rap music taking over," she added.

"Fuck you," Casey retorted, "Rock will never die." Aria chuckled after letting go of Casey's insult to her and stood behind him with her mouth close to his ear.

"Riddle me this Brit, how many rock bands are still relevant today huh?"

"More than enough to shut the bloody likes of you and Trixie's band up," Casey shifted away from Aria. Sonata moved in front of him, but had nothing to say as she blushed and bit her lip, looking at Casey's abs up and down.

"What is so great about Rock anyways Knight? Bands like Def Leppard and Van Halen haven't been of any relevance since 1992. Rock is nothing more than drunken stoners screaming into microphones and playing with guitars with about as much rhythm as playing with themselves," Adagio shined her fingernails much like Trixie.

"Oh, and what would you know about true music? You don't even play any instruments ya ego_testicle _swallowing slut!" Now it was Adagio's turn to be surprised at the mouth Casey had on him. "Rock takes heart, soul and technique to be good. What about you? You just sing in a higher pitch of your normal voice into a microphone and use 'Studio Magic' to fix any fuck ups that happen. And I guarantee you three idiots fuck up a lot."

"Three idiots? Really?" Aria jabbed her finger into Casey's chest.

"I would call you three the Three Stooges but that would be an insult to the greatest comedy trio of all time," Casey slapped her finger away. Adagio shook her head of what Casey said and gritted her teeth.

"Just face it, you and those Rainbums will NEVER defeat us. Rock is dead and those girls have no clue what the Tartarus they're doing," Adagio held back the urge to punch Casey in his smirking face.

"Those girls may play pop as well, but at least they're playing instruments and have a damned good chance at kicking your sorry arses out of this competition," Casey shot back.

"I wanna feel his muscles," Sonata drooled. Ignoring her, Aria stepped forward again. She had an idea on how to really get Casey riled up and unfocused on the next round.

"And do you wanna know who especially won't defeat us? That LOSER in the Rainbooms who plays the tambourine," she flicked Casey's nose. Immediately, Casey saw red and began to breath heavily through his nose.

"Uh-oh, it looks like we've hit a tender spot," Adagio mocked.

"You fucking leave Fluttershy OUT of this," Casey warned.

"Ooh, you're hot when you're angry," Sonata giggled.

"I mean seriously, afraid of a little light? What a wimp," Aria continued. Clenching his fists, Casey began to shake angrily.

"LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS I SAID!" He screamed.

"Oh, the kitty has a dark side," Adagio chuckled. "Why, I bet if we even snapped our fingers around her, she'd wet herself, like a little crybaby," she added. If steam could literally come out of human ears, Casey would have put a steam engine to shame. _NO _one ever insults or threatens Fluttershy like that. And anyone who dared to make her cry or put her down would have the wrath of Casey to deal with.

"You three are fucking LUCKY you're women, or else you'd be nothing but bags of bones on the floor right now," Casey barely opened his clenched jaws to speak. Aria and Adagio gave Casey the classic 'We're SO scared face' before crossing their arms while Sonata gave him the classic 'What did _I _do?' face.

"Don't even get me started on all the non-stop crying and blubbering coming from her over the dumbest things. We might as well call her FlutterCRY!" Adagio taunted. Aria laughed at Adagio's insult and continued for her.

"Do you change her diapers for her? You British pussy?" Aria said in a baby-like tone. Casey clenched his fist harder and slammed the nearest locker door next to him so hard the door buckled and collapsed into the locker itself, actually putting some fear into the Dazzlings.

"Fuck playing the nice guy. BOTH Animal Instinct and the Rainbooms will be going to the finals, I'll be sure to give you three your own boxes of kleenex for when you cry a river of pitiful loser tears when you ultimately fail!" He bellowed and angrily picked up the box. "Now, if you three fucking _Gee Bags _will excuse me," Casey threw open the doors to the gym, "my band and Fluttershy's band have some FAT ASS to kick!" Casey exclaimed, gestured with the box to Adagio's behind and stomped into the gym towards his band and the Rainbooms. The Dazzlings were left in a stunned silence, taking quick peeks at the locker door Casey destroyed with one punch.

"Did, did he just call us money bags? How is that an insult?" Sonata scratched her head. Both Aria and Adagio really didn't know what to think. They had accomplished their mission in pissing off Casey as some of his negative energy _did_ in fact get sucked into their gems, but they were blown away with his insults. They had never felt such a strange mixture of emotions as both insulted and accomplished. "Oh well, with a hot bod and an accent like that, he can call me _whatever_ he wants," she thought about Casey embracing her in his muscular arms.

"Okay, maybe he is a _little_ scary," Aria admitted.

"Pull yourselves together," Adagio cleared her throat. "He's taken care of and with the Principals under our spell, by tonight, we'll have our rightful magic back and we can take over this pathetic world."

**End Chapter 8**

* * *

_Oh boy, take a mental note people. NEVER insult Fluttershy around Casey. Next Chapter, the Eliminator Round. Who will make it to the Championship Round? You can guess, but you won't be able to guess correctly what I have planned. Join us next time as Animal Instinct brings out their most intense song to date._

_For those who don't know, Gee Bag is a very vulgar Irish Slang for vagina. _


	9. Chapter 9: The Eliminator Round

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 9: The Eliminator Round**

**Dante Watterson: **_Thanks for the offer, but I believe I've already found their theme. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_I've been aiming for funny yet believable. I loved the actual film and just wanted to try my own version of it. So i'm glad that people are enjoying it._

**Dixie Darlin: **_It was something he hadn't considered yet and the girls plus Casey and Vinyl have grown so much over the past few days and have just had a blast. I had the entire chapter written down before I got to the insults because a good rule of writing is to form jokes around the story, never form the story around the jokes because then the story could fall flat and the jokes may not save it. Besides, Brits have better insults lol_

**Stumbledore: **_Oh there's a possibility *shifty eyes*, but you'll have to read to find out. As for the song, all I'll tell you is nope, not Through the Fire and Flames. You'_re probably yelling because you're excited for the next the chapter and can't wait to see what song they will sing and what happens next.

**Guest: **_Despite being a Marvel fan, I have actually not yet seen Guardians of the Galaxy though I've heard it has a kick ass soundtrack. Trust me, I do enjoy 60s-70s rock as well as 80s, but I just prefer the 80s for some reason. Bands like the Stones, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin I enjoy to listen to as well as Van Halen, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Motley Crue, Poison etc. _

**jackthehedgehog: **_That extra boost bay have given them enough power to pull their dirty deeds, but they still want to wait for their outdoor performance so the entire TOWN could fall under their spell, though with Rock 'N Roll being their weakness, they may not be able to get an outdoor performance. _

**WolfDragon: **_Haven't seen School of Rock but I love Rock of Ages. Rock will NEVER die as long as bans like Animal Instinct are still around!_

_Alright folks, here it is: The Canterlot High Battle of the Bands Eliminator Round! The Dazzlings v. The Rainbooms v. Trixie and the Illusions v. Animal Instinct. Four bands, two move to the finals. For all of those Rock fans, I really hope you like the song Animal Instinct sings; it's one of my favorites and it's really intense, loud and heart pounding, just like Rock was meant to be. However, last time Casey got into it with the Dazzlings. How will that affect Animal Instinct's performance? _

_Also, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed and favorited/followed this story. I never expected this to garner this many fans, though with Rock still as amazing as ever, that shouldn't have surprised me. I also wanted to say I'm really happy everyone likes the newest bracket system I used for the story rather than what the movie did and pit two bands against each other. Just looking at that whiteboard told you who was gonna win. No, I wanted it to be a surprise, though it really wasn't._

* * *

**(Canterlot High Gymnasium. 3rd Person POV)**

The gym was abuzz with talk from not only the three bands residing beside the stage, but also from the other students, more importantly the twelve bands that had suffered the fateful cut of Principals Celestia and Luna's decisions. Flash Sentry's band especially was pissed off at getting cut over Animal Instinct the previous day; they would shoot nasty glances at Vinyl and the Crusaders every chance they got. Twilight looked up from her notebook only briefly to take one look at Flash whom glared at her and scoffed her way, drawing tears from her eyes before she looked back down to scribble down more notes into her notebook. "Oh, the check in time is almost up, has anybody seen Casey?" Fluttershy asked, nervously checking the clock on the wall and near where the Crusaders and Vinyl were talking amongst themselves. The kind girl gave momentary waves to Vinyl who kept checking the door as well. Fluttershy felt a hand gracefully touch her shoulder before she felt a tight squeeze.

Hoping that the hand squeezing her shoulder was Casey, Fluttershy hopefully turned around with a big smile on her face to the person standing behind her. "Fluttershy, do we really have to say it again?" Rainbow Dash's voice asked Fluttershy. The meek girl felt saddened and her face fell when she realized it was just her friend Rainbow. "Because the others would hate to tell you, but I don't mind telling you to stay away from him again," the cyan athlete grinned.

"I still don't know why you girls even ha- er, dislike Casey," the pink haired girl looked down at her feet. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to be his friend, but why do you say those mean things about him?"

"Fluttershy darling," Rarity said warmly, "it's not that we dislike him, although I sort of do," she admitted. Fluttershy's eyes bulged out of her head again in shock.

"Even after he helped smooth things out between you and your sisters, you still dislike him? Why?" Fluttershy flailed her tambourine around, nearly smashing it against Rainbow's head.

"Well yeah he _did_, but just look at his attitude Fluttershy," Applejack countered. "He's loud, rude, sarcastic 'n he swears so much. Ah can't recall a sentence from him that didn't contain a curse word," the farming girl explained.

"For the record, _I_ don't think he's that bad," Sunset Shimmer offered a more cheerful vibe for the poor girl. Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack shot quick '_shut up'_ glares at the girl whom shrank back down and cupped her face with her palms. Fluttershy laid her tambourine against her side as she looked back up from the ground to her three friends talking down about Casey. Pinkie, Twilight, Spike and Sunset were all still doing their own thing, not wanting to say anything else.

"Plus, we get the feeling that he doesn't like us too, so what should we care about him Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked the buttery yellow girl. Fluttershy drew in a deep breath, preparing for a long explanation. Her eyes were slightly watery when she took in her deep breath.

"Not to mention," Rarity interrupted Fluttershy before she could begin, "he always puts down our music while putting Rock 'N Roll on a pedestal. If he had any shred of kindness within him, he would leave our music alone and praise his jungle art by himself," the fashion loving girl flipped her purple hair.

"Like I said before in the Cafe girls," Fluttershy fought back tears, "you just don't know Casey like I do. Normally I _don't_ like sarcastic humor, but Casey's a special friend to me and I know he's not serious about his jokes. If you gave him an honest chance instead of just judging him on the surface, you'd find that he's a sweet boy, a gentle soul and deep down is just as likable as any of us," Fluttershy explained. Right then and there, the gym doors flew open with a deafening **_BANG_** as they slammed against the sides of the bleachers. The sudden noise startled everyone to the point that no one said anything while Casey strolled into the gym, carrying a box without a shirt on and one of the most pissed off expressions anyone at the school had ever seen. The Brit was angrily grumbling to himself as he set the box down in front of Animal Instinct and sat down in between Scootaloo and Vinyl Scratch.

"Yeah, he's a _really_ gentle soul Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash rolled her magenta eyes and went back to tuning her guitar, leaving Fluttershy to glare at her. Meanwhile, over with Animal Instinct, Casey was collecting his thoughts, trying to keep himself calm before talking to his girlfriend and bandmates. The Brit's face was still red with anger after his little chat with the Dazzlings, making his bandmates wonder what was wrong with him.

"Uh Casey," Sweetie Belle began, "where's your shirt at?" she asked. Casey's pale green eyes darted upwards at the bassist whom was still standing as he was sitting down. He ran a hand through his black mullet, still trying to calm himself down. "Not that I'm complaining or anything," she whispered.

"Yeah, and why are you so angry?" Scootaloo added, putting her hands on her hips. Vinyl sat down beside her boyfriend, worried that he was steaming mad and she couldn't decipher why. The milky white DJ placed her hand in between the guitarist's shoulder blades, rubbing softly. Casey moaned, his anger beginning to melt away like snow in the sunlight.

"And what's in that there box?" Applebloom asked her own question, "What? Ah'm curious," she shrugged her shoulders when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gave her the classic _Are you serious? _face. Casey sighed happily while Vinyl worked her magic hands on his back. He turned around and shared a quick kiss with her before standing up and grabbing the box.

"First off ladies," he opened the flaps to the box, "Diamond Tiara's asshole father ripped my tank top and threw it down a sewer drain in town," he explained. His anger was diminishing thanks to Vinyl's massage, but there was still shades from the mere mention of Filthy Rich.

"Should we be surprised that her dad is a jerk too?" Sweetie Belle asked, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"He _does_ talk in a pretty condescending tone ta my brother, sister 'n Granny," Applebloom agreed.

"Anyway," Vinyl cut off their second guitarist, "uh Babe, what'd you bring us for our surprise?" She asked, intrigued as much as the Crusaders were. Opening the last two flaps, Casey dug his hands around the box until he grabbed a shirt and pulled it out, but the piece of clothing was backwards.

"Girls, and my lovely girlfriend Vinyl," he winked towards the DJ, forming a blush on her cheeks, "I'm so proud of all of you for your hard work and dedication to getting our band to the semi-final round that I personally had the local T-Shirt shop print us up our own band shirts," he grinned and flipped the shirt around to show his bandmates what the logo looked like. Casey was met with a chorus of gasps from Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Vinyl.

"Holy crap, this is AWESOME!" Scootaloo's drum sticks fell from her lap and clattered loudly to the gym floor when she stood up and grabbed the black T-Shirt from Casey. The Brit gladly allowed his bandmates to yank the shirt from him to study it. The drummer traced her fingers over the cheetah eyes, claw marks and pyrite lettering with big eyes and a little drool forming at the corner of her mouth.

"I'm in Rock 'N Roll heaven!" Sweetie Belle squeaked and grabbed the shirt from Scootaloo. "Rarity would be _so_ jealous of this design Casey!" She added when Applebloom took the shirt away from her and put it on herself. She giggled when she noticed that it was meant for Casey as it was a little too big for her. She pulled it off and handed it back to Casey.

"Ah hope there's enough fer all 'o us," Applebloom said hopefully. The main guitarist held up his index finger and pulled four more shirts out of the box and tossed them all to his bandmates with a big cheesy grin on his face.

"Does that answer your prayers Applebloom?" Casey gave her a light noogie.

"Wow Case," Vinyl took off her headphones for a moment to put on her own shirt, "when did you have time to get these made?" The DJ smoothed out the bottom of her shirt and admired it. Casey placed an arm around her waist and held her close.

"Oh, right after the Contender Round yesterday. I brought the design over to the T-Shirt shop and they said they'd have them done by this afternoon. And that's why I left school right away without having a last minute conversation with any of you," he explained, putting on his own shirt. The rest of Animal Instinct quickly threw on their shirts over their other outfits without hesitation; they were excited to show off how awesome their band was. Casey quieted down when Vice Principal Luna came by with the check-in sheet and the entire band scribbled their names on the sheet.

"I'm not supposed to show favoritism kids, but I hope you rock out harder than before," Luna winked at Casey and Vinyl. The Vice Principal checked her phone clock before checking the gymnasium clock. "Hmm, the Dazzlings have two minutes to sign up, or else they'll be forced to forfeit," Luna shook her head. "And such a pity if that happened; they have such beautiful voices." She added before going to wait by the door for the Dazzlings. "Oh and by the way, killer shirts kids," Luna said out of the side of her mouth. As if that was the cue, Adagio, Aria and Sonata entered the gym through the doors that were now slightly dented in between the handles where Casey had kicked them in.

The mullet haired guitarist embarrassingly looked down at his shoes when he saw the huge dent he put in the door due to his anger. Adagio and Aria gave Casey looks that they attempted to make intimidating, but they came across as a little scared around him. Sonata on the other hand gave him a flirty wave as she lagged behind the other two. Adagio put on a fake cheery smile for Celestia and Luna as she signed in The Dazzlings for the Eliminator Round. Casey looked over at Trixie whom was glaring at Rainbow Dash whom was glaring at Adagio whom was glaring at Casey. The leaders of each band suddenly all shot looks at each other from each of their own corners of the gym. "Now that each band has signed in, the Eliminator Round will begin very shortly. If you have to get something to eat or drink or go to the bathroom, do it now," Principal Celestia advised.

"Because if even one band member is not on stage when your band is called, your band is automatically disqualified," Luna added for her sister. "This is the penultimate round; we cannot tolerate any tardiness," she explained. Casey itched his nose while still angrily eyeing Adagio, Aria, Trixie and Rainbow Dash. One of Trixie's goons and Pinkie Pie promptly dashed out of the gym to relieve themselves.

"We're good to go Casey," Vinyl informed her boyfriend.

"Good, just stay on your toes girls; we don't know what your sisters' band will bring to the table, or if the Dazzlings will pay off the principals to go onto the finals," he sputtered angrily. Applebloom hopped down from her bleacher seat which was one row above Casey's and landed in front of him.

"Are ya thinkin' that's how they keep goin' further in the competition?" she questioned. Casey sighed and drummed his fingers on the bumpy surface of his bleacher seat, going through every possible scenario as to why the Dazzlings continued on in the competition.

"I'll be honest, they _do_ sound good, but I don't think they're good enough to beat both us and The Rainbooms," Casey looked back over at the pop band and tried to wave at Fluttershy but was cut off when Applejack noticed and stepped in front of Casey's vision. "As for Trixie," he continued, turning his attention back to his band, "I'm still unsure how she even made it past the Challenger Round. There's a mystery even Sherlock Holmes couldn't solve," he tapped his chin whilst resting his elbow on his knee.

"Drugging the principals is my vote," Scootaloo declared, earning her strange looks. "What? You wanted a theory and I gave you one," she shrugged and put her drum sticks in her back pocket.

"Hey, I thought it was weird; I didn't say it wasn't a good theory," Casey smirked. The gym doors burst open again with Trixie's goon and Pinkie Pie running back in so as to not be late for whenever their turn was. "Girls, I'll be right back," Casey grunted as he stood up.

"Where're you heading Case?" Vinyl asked her boyfriend, lowering her purple shades.

"Just to wish Fluttershy good luck on getting to the finals, that's all," he cracked a smile to his girlfriend before casually walking over to the Rainbooms. He could faintly hear their conversation, though he had no clue what exactly they were talking about. Yet, that mattered not to him as he only wanted to see Fluttershy for a quick moment.

"I'm not sure girls, I think the spell might be ready, but I don't want to take a chance on blowing everything!" Twilight exclaimed, extremely nervous.

"Look Twilight, it's still only the semi-finals. If it's not ready now, we still have a few extra hours before tonight for you to perfect it," Rainbow Dash encouraged her friend. Everyone else in the group happily joined in on the crusade to encourage the lavender girl. As for the Brit who caught the end of that conversation, he was lost to say the least. _'Maybe they're going over new song lyrics?'_ He tried to justify every word he had heard.

"Excuse me ladies, is Fluttershy available for a quick second?" Casey politely asked. He had surprised Applejack and Rainbow Dash as they had their backs to him while talking in a circle with everyone else. Fluttershy desperately attempted to maneuver around her friends to see Casey, but Rarity grabbed her wrist and shook her head with a glare. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had swung their instruments around their backs so they could cross their arms to form a protective barrier around Fluttershy.

"Sorry Knight," Rainbow Dash held up a hand, "band members _only_," she growled the last word. Casey had seen the athlete pissed before, but he swore if this were a cartoon, she would have a skull and crossbones in her eyes. Looking from band member to band member, Casey gulped when he saw angry glares from everyone except Fluttershy, Twilight and Sunset. Though Pinkie Pie's face wasn't angry, she had a confused look on her face as if she were trying to decide to look angry or not.

"All I want is to say one thing to Fluttersh-" Casey innocently held his hands up when Applejack cut him off.

"Don'tcha know what scram means Casey? It means _GIT, NOW!_" She yelled at the Brit and pointed her finger back towards his own band. Rarity and Rainbow Dash both held their fingers up as well, further pushing the message to Casey that he needed to leave. The buttery yellow girl attempted to sneak past Rarity yet again, but the fashionista still held her wrist tightly.

"Not even just a friendly pat on the back or a hug? Really?" Casey asked, getting angry with Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack as well. He was met with head shakes from the same girls, getting him nowhere again. "Well fine, maybe after the Eliminator Round you'll let Fluttershy off her leash, that she _doesn't_ deserve to be on!" Casey got into Rainbow's face and yelled. Growling like an angry grizzly bear, Casey whirled around and stomped his way back to his band. On his way over however, Rainbow ran over and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Hey, stop right there Knight," she demanded.

"What, what could you possibly have left to say after you intentionally keep me and my friend apart!?" Casey angrily inquired.

"Look, you just stay the hell away from Fluttershy from now on, got it?" Rainbow poked Casey in the chest with her finger.

"Excuse me?" Casey said demonically, "what the hell did you just say to me?"

"You heard every word I said. You're a terrible influence on Fluttershy and she's too nice of a girl to fall down where you're heading. I don't care that you and her were friends since Kindergarten; you're an asshole. And after this whole competition is over, you stay the hell away from our sisters too or we'll kick your ass," Rainbow threatened with a fist in his face.

"How can Fluttershy possibly be friends," Casey sneered, "with a selfish bitch like you?" he growled. Applejack and Rarity grabbed Rainbow Dash by her waist while Scootaloo and Vinyl grabbed Casey's waist, pulling the two apart.

"Calm down Case, she's not worth it," Vinyl patted his back.

"What's gotten into my sister lately?" Scootaloo shot an angry glare to Rainbow Dash.

"Just one punch, let me punch that know-it-all punk in the face!" Rainbow tried to get out of Rarity and Applejack's grasp. The two bands calmed down when the lights dimmed and the stage lights lit up to reveal the two principals of the school.

"Welcome to Canterlot High School's Battle of the Bands Eliminator Round!" Celestia announced.

"Our final four bands have fought and shredded hard to be here, and now we must determine the roster for the final round tonight!" Luna declared as four banners, each with the four different band logos, appeared on stage.

"So, without further ado, let us determine the order of the bans for the Eliminator Round!" Celestia excitedly gestured to the huge TV monitor above the stage. All four band names appeared on screen before starting to jumble around to determine an order. Casey glared daggers over at Rainbow Dash while the TV screen was jumbling around. The cyan guitarist raised her finger to her throat and made a slashing motion to the grey guitarist while baring her teeth at him.

"Come on Casey, just forget about her and focus; we can do this," Vinyl tried to get Casey's mind off of The Rainbooms.

"Keep me away from my friend," he clenched his fists and cracked his knuckles, "I'm so pissed right now."

"We'll find a way to smooth this whole thing out. Maybe we'll all be sane once this blows over," Vinyl still attempted to placate her boyfriend. The TV screen ceased jumbling and the order of the bands was revealed.

_1) Animal Instinct_

_2) The Dazzlings_

_3) Trixie and The Illusions_

_4) The Rainbooms_

"Oh sweet! First up!" Scootaloo raised her drumsticks high in the air.

"And Animal Instinct will be first to take the stage for the Eliminator Round. Show us that you're worthy enough to be in the Championship Round!" Luna announced and motioned for the band to get on stage.

"Come on girls, it's time to rise up, gather 'round and rock this place to the ground," Casey slung his guitar onto his back. Vinyl, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom all followed suit in a bird-like pattern with Casey at the point and the other four following him in a V shape. Right as the five stepped onto stage, Casey looked over at the Rainbooms and mouthed one final line to them. _'You're goin' down.' _He then turned around to plug his guitar into his respective amp while Sweetie Belle and Applebloom did the same thing for their instruments.

"Alright guys, we've made it this far," Vinyl began a little speech, "let's really show them what we've been holding back," she flipped on her Yamaha Keyboard. Scootaloo sat down on her drummer's chair and flicked her sticks into the air before catching them while Casey, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom gave their instruments one final tune. Right as he was about to strap on his portable microphone, Casey got one last idea to help their chance of moving to the Championship Round. He admitted it was slightly dirty, but his band worked too hard to lose against Trixie and The Illusions or The Dazzlings.

"Folks, before we begin, I just have one more thing I want to do," he announced into Applebloom's microphone. Confused, the entire student body studied the Brit as he took off his guitar and set it off to the side.

"Is Applebloom takin' on all the guitar parts?" Applejack asked.

"I don't like him, but I'll admit those are some pretty wicked shirts," Rainbow Dash begrudgingly confessed. Casey sucked in a big breath through his nostrils, calming himself before moving on with his dastardly plan. Reaching down, the Brit grabbed the bottom of his Animal Instinct shirt and quickly threw it over his head and back behind Scootaloo's drum kit. Every girl in the audience, save for Fluttershy, held their breath as the lights from the stage perfectly showed off Casey's grey rock hard abs and biceps.

"Just getting a little hot in here don't ya think?" He winked to the crowd and purposefully flexed his muscles as he put his guitar back onto his body. A few girls whooped and hollered while some blushed and looked away. Others however, fainted while trying to fan themselves.

"You're lucky we're all used to that Casey," Sweetie Belle giggled with a tiny blush. With his headset microphone finally on, Casey took his normal spot at the center of the stage with Applebloom to his left and Sweetie Belle to his right. Peering his pale green eyes over, Casey checked to see if everyone else was ready. When they nodded, he looked back down as Celestia and Luna held up their clipboards and pens, waiting to tally their score for the song. Giving off one last evil glare towards Rainbow Dash specifically, Casey snapped his fingers and gave a thumbs up towards Scootaloo to start the song.

With a crick of her neck and back, Scootaloo raised up her drum sticks and slammed them down to begin the song. A lone spotlight fell upon Scootaloo as her small drum solo began the song. After a few seconds of pounding her drums, another spotlight fell upon Casey as he began to sing. Just as he did however, Adagio, Aria and Sonata quickly left their spot near the door of the gym and snuck outside to the hallway and into an empty classroom to avoid losing anymore of their precious magic. And just as a precaution, they hummed their melodies to form a protective barrier in case the song reached the classroom.

[Casey]  
_Come on feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild!_

Other spotlights came up, illuminating every other member of the band as they all prepared to play their instruments and sang into their microphones.

[Animal Instinct]  
_Wild_,_ wild, wild!_

[Casey]_  
So you think I got an evil mind,_  
_I'll tell you honey_

Casey gave out a karate-like kick and landed at the edge of the stage, raising his left leg in the air and placing his guitar on his knee.

_I don't know why  
I don't know why_

The lead guitarist set his leg down onto the stage, allowing it to rest as he leaned backwards, allowing the spotlight to show off more of his abs for the girls in the crowd. And that tactical approach was working like a charm, especially on Sonata whom was drooling and blushing like crazy. Suddenly, he hopped back up to a regular stance, yet he had the deranged look of a rabid wolverine on steroids as he pointed his arm out right at Rarity in the brief moment his guitar part paused.

_So you think my singing's out of time,_  
_it makes me money_

"I think you girls broke him," Pinkie Pie said, cowering a little at Casey's momentary descent into madness.

"He was already broken darling, that hair is a disgrace," Rarity corrected her drumming friend. Fluttershy however, ignored her two friends and tried her best to listen to Casey's song, hoping she could sneak away from The Rainbooms to congratulate Casey once he was done.

_I don't know why_  
_I don't know why, anymore_  
_Oh no_

The Brit brought his hand back to the neck of his guitar, yet still had his deranged look carved into his face. A blood vessel on the side of his neck even made an appearance as Casey drove his intensity past overdrive. Scootaloo joined in on the intensity factor as she was already sweating up a storm from her drumming. Bobbing her head every time she struck her drum kit, sweat flew off of Scootaloo's head and sweatband.

[Animal Instinct]_  
So come on, feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild_  
_Wild, wild, wild_

Sweetie Belle began to buck her hips back and forth to the beat of her bass, getting more in tune with playing her bass and singing than when Casey dubbed her the lead singer for _I Love Rock 'N Roll. _Her wig barely stayed on as she too banged her head a few times.

_Come on, feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild,_  
_Get Wild_

Right before the next verse, Casey slowly made his way over to Sweetie Belle, stood next to her and bumped shoulders with the bassist. The sixteen year old turned to her left to face Casey as he sang the next verse directly to her, albeit a part of the show.

[Casey]_  
So you say I got a funny face,_  
_I got no worries_  
_And don't know why_  
_I don't know why_

Sweetie Belle giggled and playfully slapped Casey's shoulder, pretending to send him away. The Brit did just that and jogged over to Applebloom's spot on stage, fell to his knees and slid the rest of the way right up to her. He stood up and did the exact same thing to her as he did to Sweetie Belle. Sweat was now dripping from Casey, giving off a glare from his shirtless torso.

_Oh i gotta sing with some disgrace,_  
_I'm in no hurry_  
_And I don't know why_  
_I don't know why, anymore_  
_no, no, no_

[Animal Instinct]_  
Come on, feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild,_  
_wild, wild, wild_

Slowly, but surely, Casey retook his position at center stage and spun around on his right heel as he and Animal Instinct continued to sing. However, as the next bank of lyrics began, Casey, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom started to back away from the front of the stage! The trio walked backwards up to Scootaloo's drum kit and hopped on the platform she was sitting upon. Vinyl couldn't however, as she was stuck with her keyboard and didn't have a strap for it. Instead, she pressed a button on her keyboard that made Scootaloo's platform raised about eight inches into the air, making the other four band members tower over the audience.

_Come on, feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild,_  
_Get Wild_  
_Come on_

When Casey hit the final words of that particular verse, Vinyl hit a button that made a strobe effect and the three guitar/bassists jumped from the platform into the air, landing on their knees back at the front of the stage to begin the bridge solo. Sweetie Belle rose to her feet and jogged back to her original spot, but Casey and Applebloom remained on their knees. The second guitarist soon stood upon her feet and walked closer to Casey whom still remained on his knees. Applebloom then ran towards Casey, jumped into the air and landed on his back, her legs wrapped around his chest for support.

Casey finally stood up on his feet, but with Applebloom sitting on his shoulders, still holding her guitar as if nothing had happened. The duo then began to play their respective parts for the solo of the song. During practice, they had dubbed this trick: _The Towering Solo._ Applebloom held her balance perfectly as Casey casually strolled over to a huge amp near stage left. When the solo became more intense and fast paced, Casey bent down on his knees and launched himself, still holding Applebloom on his shoulders, on top of the amp. Both of them never missed a single note as they strummed their guitars like madmen.

Finally, the solo and bridge of the song came to a close, and Casey and Applebloom had something even _more_ special for the crowd that was already in awe at their Towering Solo trick. Casey stood on his toes as the two still never missed a note. Applebloom braced herself against Casey's head and hopped to her feet on her shoulders while Casey starting popping them back and forth. "HE'S GONNA GET MY SISTER KILLED!" Applejack angrily clenched her fists. Although the trick was dangerous, Applebloom and Casey had complete trust in each other to perform it. Applebloom bent down on Casey's shoulders and leapt off of his body in a back flip, landing perfectly square on her feet in the process and finished shredding the solo as Casey stopped to hop down.

[Casey]_  
Well you think we have a lazy time,_  
_You should know better_  
_I don't know why_

[Animal Instinct]_  
I don't know why_

[Casey]_  
So you say I got a dirty mind,_  
_I'm a mean go getter_  
_I don't know why_

[Animal Instinct]  
_I don't know why,_

[Casey]_  
anymore_  
_Oh no_

Everyone in the band, except for Scootaloo ceased playing their instruments and instead sang along together. The foursome only played their instruments to coincide with the word 'wild.'

_[Animal Instinct]  
Come on feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild,_  
_Wild, wild, wild_

_Come on, feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild_  
_Get Wild_

By this time, Casey, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom formed their classic triangle of the sixteen strings at center stage as Vinyl and Scootaloo still rocked out behind the scenes.

_Come on (come on) feel it_  
_Girls rock your boys (girls rock it)_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild_  
_We're gonna get wild (wild,wild,wild)_

_We're gonna get rocked tonight (come on feel the noise)_

_Rock it tonight (girls rock your boys)_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild_  
_OH YEAH!_

As Casey sustained the note for a good fifteen seconds, some audience members clamped their hands over their ears as the sound was too powerful for them. The sound got so loud and high pitched that Rainbow's phone screen cracked, the glass jug of water on the judging table shattered and all the windows in the gym cracked. "Yeah, I'll let the night guy get that," Gordy said as he bobbed his head whilst sipping a soda.

_Ah, ah, ah (wooooo)_  
_Ah, ah, ah_

_Come on, feel the noise_  
_Girls rock your boys_  
_We'll get wild, wild, wild_

_Ah, ah, ah_  
_Ah, ah, ah._

When the song was over, every member was exhausted and panting heavily. Sweat was dripping from their bodies so fast and much that they could've made a waterfall blush. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna (after wiping up the spilled water from Casey's high note) clapped and whistled for their performance. "Fantastic doesn't even come close to describing that performance students, outstanding!" Celestia exclaimed whilst writing down her score.

"I knew you kids wouldn't disappoint," Luna added. Casey breathed deeply a few times before taking off his mic and grabbing Sweetie Belle's while everyone else gathered up their instruments.

"Thank you ladies," he winked at the principals, "this was a load of fun. Good luck to the rest of the bands in this round, especially Rainbow Dash and Trixie; you're gonna need it," he teased the two and stuck his tongue out like Gene Simmons.

"Casey, get your butt over here now and stop making an ass out of yourself!" Vinyl hissed, grabbing her boyfriend by his mullet and drug him off stage.

"Oh, I'm gonna love the post competition punch in the face I'll be giving him!" Rainbow snapped Twilight's pencil in half.

"He didn't say anything mean at all Rainbow," Fluttershy chimed in before shrinking down at Rainbow's death stare.

"Oooh, Trixie is gonna have a few words with you Knight!" Trixie shook her fist at the Brit that was calming down with some water from his bandmates. Grumbling, Vinyl turned around to the magician and flipped her the bird, pissing her off even more. Meanwhile, The Dazzlings enjoyed another burst of negative energy from Casey before it was their turn to go on stage.

"That was unexpected, but we'll take whatever we can get girls," Adagio grinned evilly, "now let's secure our spot in the finals."

* * *

**(One Dazzling Performance and 99% of a Trixie Performance Later)**

"For the love of Steve Clark, could they at least _try_ to perform a new song!?" Casey complained as Trixie and her Goons performed the exact same song for the fourth time in a row, and he was feeling nauseated.

"I agree Casey," Scootaloo concurred, "I mean, it's one thing to write songs that sound too similar, but it's completely pathetic to only do one song the entire competition!"

"Can anyone remind me again just why those three idjits made it this far?" Applebloom asked. Rather than sitting back on the bleachers, Animal Instinct was waiting backstage for all of the other bands to finish their songs for the round. Celestia and Luna had decided each band shall wait behind stage after their song was completed so all four could go out on stage for the decision on the Championship bands.

"Scootaloo said something about putting drugs in the principals' drinks," Sweetie Belle chimed in, taking off her wig and scratching her head. Casey ignored Trixie and her goons as best as he could while The Rainbooms awaited next to Animal Instinct to go on. And of course, Casey was still fenced off from Fluttershy. The Dazzlings were backstage, but they were in another section where no one could see or hear them. Finally, to the delight of Animal Instinct, Trixie finished her 'song' and threw her guitar pick at Celestia and Luna's judging table.

"Oh, fantastic!" Celestia applauded and wrote down her score. Trixie and her two sound artists smugly strutted off stage to where Animal Instinct and The Rainbooms were.

"Ha, one animal finally put down," Trixie sneered in Casey's direction, "I knew you would be no match for Trixie and her phenomenal guitar skills," she bragged. Casey and Vinyl rolled their eyes with a groan. "And you're never gonna top that performance Raingoons," Trixie turned to Rainbow Dash, giving off a teasing stance. The cyan guitar player stood with a smirk on her face, completely unfazed by Trixie's taunting. "You shouldn't be allowed to when you have such a big advantage over the rest of us!" She pointed and accused at the entire band.

"Ya know what's uglier than you Trixie? Jealousy!" Casey taunted the taunter. The magician bit her tongue to keep her train of thought on the Rainbooms. "Sure their pop crap isn't as good as Rock 'N Roll, but what they do takes more talent than whatever it is you're doing!" He added. Applejack and Pinkie Pie raised their arms up and mouthed '_What the hell?'_ to the Brit. Rainbow Dash however, ignored Casey's comment and went in to match wits with Trixie.

"My superior guitar playing and off the charts awesome singing voice?!" She egotistically bragged. Trixie hmphed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't be ridiculous Rainbow Trash, I'm talking about _her_!" she pointed like an evil monkey to Twilight whom was standing in a corner, holding her journal and blushing from the accusation. "If you were really all that like you think Rainbow Dash, you wouldn't have needed to bring in some magical ringer to have half a chance, everyone's talking about it," she shined her fingernails.

"The bloody hell is she talking about?" Casey pointed his thumb at Trixie. Still wanting to keep the secret about Twilight a secret, Vinyl and the Crusaders shrugged to help Casey think Trixie was a little crazy.

"Oh I could win this competition as a solo act and _everyone_ knows it!" Rainbow showboated with her guitar, angering her band and Casey.

"Sure you could," Trixie bopped Rainbow's nose and threw down a smoke pellet.

"Oh dammit, not again!" Scootaloo coughed and sputtered along with everyone else. When the smoke cleared, Trixie was nowhere in sight. Pinkie Pie gasped and grabbed the side of her head.

"SHE'S GONE!" She exclaimed, "oh wait, Casey's got her," she pointed out that Casey had grabbed Trixie by her cape.

"Do yourself a favor Trixie and shut your fucking mouth," he let her go and she tripped over the drum kit's platform. The chagrined magician dusted herself off and disappeared off stage, waiting to return for when the final decision was to be made.

"At least he's good for one thing: Shutting Trixie up," Rarity complimented the Brit.

_"Next up, the Rainbooms," _Luna announced over the microphone. The band cricked their necks and knuckles and set off for center stage for their turn to prove they were championship material. Fluttershy managed to give a friendly wave to Casey as she walked by to which Casey happily returned.

"Rock that tambourine Flutters," he cheered.

"Knock 'em dead Rainbooms!" Spike encouraged whist standing next to Sunset. Casey turned his head around at hearing the voice speaking. Seeing no one but Sunset, he shook his head, hoping Trixie's craziness wasn't rubbing off on him.

"I'll be here," Sunset smiled, "just, watching," she added dejectedly.

The lights on stage went up as Pinkie began an insane drum solo to kick off the song. One by one, each member of the Rainbooms was engulfed in their own spotlight as they all shouted, "HEY!" repeatedly. Rainbow dashed onto stage with her electric guitar. Her own spotlight followed her to center stage.

_Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!_  
_Awesome as I wanna be_  
_Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!_  
_Awesome as I wanna be_  
_First you see me riding on a sonic boom_  
_Got my guitar shreddin' up the latest tune_

"The one rock song they manage to play, and it's all about that egotistical twat," Casey furrowed his brow at Rainbow. All of his pure hatred for this girl was surfacing as she strutted around the stage as if she were a rock god.

"You do know that's still my sister right Casey?" Scootaloo asked, getting miffed at her bandmate's attitude towards her big sister.

_There is nothin' you can do to beat me_  
_I'm so good that you can't defeat me_  
_Yeah, I'm awesome, take caution_  
_Watch out for me, I'm awesome as I wanna be_  
_(Yeah!) I'm awesome, take caution_  
_Watch out for me, I'm awesome as I wanna be_

The spotlights all left the other members and focused solely on Rainbow Dash as she entered a guitar solo. "What the bloody hell?" Casey squinted as light emitting from atop Rainbow Dash's head. "Are those, ears?" Casey grimaced.

_Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!_  
_Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!_

Sunset Shimmer sprinted from behind the stage and tackled Rainbow Dash before her powers could be seen by the Dazzlings. The tackle caused a chain reaction of Rainbow, Sunset, Twilight and Applejack collapsing on stage. Applejack's bass flew into the air and landed straight up on top of Pinkie Pie's drum kit, surprising the drummer. The lights in the gym went up, frightening Fluttershy and she ran back stage. "Flutters, are you okay?" Casey gently grasped her shoulders and calmed her down. On stage, every member of the Rainbooms was glaring daggers at Sunset who nervously stood up.

"There's the girl we love to hate!" Flash Sentry taunted.

"I _knew_ she couldn't be trusted!" Octavia exclaimed.

"_No, it's not like that," _Sunset whispered to herself and reluctantly followed the rest of The Rainbooms backstage to where Fluttershy was waiting. The Dazzlings peered out from behind old stage props, smiling.

"It's like they volunteered to do the work for us," Adagio chuckled.

"Okay, _what_ was that?!" Rainbow demanded Sunset. All members were glowering at Sunset except for Twilight and Fluttershy who rejoined her band. Casey meanwhile, was being held back by Applebloom and Vinyl as he wanted to give Rainbow a piece of his mind more than anything.

"Just stay back Casey, this isn't your fight babe," Vinyl tried to calm him down. She and Applebloom had their arms wrapped around his waist to try and keep him back, but his strength was too much for them as he broke free from their grasp.

"You were showing them your magic; I-I didn't know what else to do!" Sunset tried to explain. Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but Casey's stomping entrance made her stop.

"I should be asking you the same thing Rainbow!" Casey shoved his way past Applejack and Pinkie Pie. He was so pissed that he hadn't heard Sunset's explanation to the Rainbooms.

"Ugh, not now Knight! Get your butt out of here!" Rainbow pointed back towards Animal Instinct, "I'm _so_ sick of you having to butt your way into our business!"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Casey roared, scaring everyone backstage.

"Casey," Fluttershy tried to stop him from saying something wrong. Vinyl, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom jogged over behind Casey in case things took a turn for the worse.

"Will you just mind your own damn business for once in your life Knight, or is that too hard for your drug rotted brain?!" Rainbow insulted.

"The one somewhat rock song you _finally_ manage to play, and you ruin it by making it yet another one of your damned ego trips! Why do you feel the need to elevate yourself above everyone else huh?" Casey demanded.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm so awesome!" Rainbow got closer to Casey and bumped foreheads with him.

"You're not awesome, you're a bitch!" Casey literally spat into her face. Rainbow's face twitched as she picked up her guitar and chucked it onto the ground, cracking her knuckles as her fists tightened.

"THAT'S IT! I'm gonna enjoy this!" Rainbow reared her fist back and struck Casey across his jaw. He groaned as he lost his balance and Rainbow kicked him in his gut. Fluttershy gasped in shock and held her mouth with her hand, unable to say anything.

"HEY, PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SEX!" Vinyl got in between her boyfriend and Rainbow Dash, pushing the girl away, it was on from there. Rainbow screamed and tackled Vinyl to the ground, knocking off her sunglasses and headphones onto the ground.

"Vinyl!" Applebloom helped the DJ to her feet as Rarity and Pinkie Pie grabbed Rainbow Dash by her flailing arms, holding her back from Casey and Vinyl. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were busy holding Casey back as he was trying to get back to Rainbow Dash.

"BREAK IT UP, BREAK IT UP!" Applejack shouted and got in between the three teenagers. "Now we can all act civilized or we can act like a bunch of rabid animals," She demanded and grabbed a 2x4 from a stage prop and smacked it against her hand, "now what's it gonna be?!" Casey rubbed his sore jaw that was starting to turn purple.

"I knew it, I knew there was a reason I didn't fucking like you you egotistical stroking snatch!" He yelled.

"Would you calm down Casey! You're just making it worse!" Vinyl exclaimed to her boyfriend, raising her voice at him for the first time in their relationship. Under any normal circumstances, Casey would've listened to her without question if he was being stupid, but Rainbow had pushed him too far over the edge this time.

"You've just got your panties bunched up because Rock is dead and Pop and is the new king of music!" Rainbow pointed from behind Rarity and Applejack.

"Pop music? POP MUSIC!" Casey shouted. "I'll tell you the truth about pop music!"

"Please calm down Casey," Fluttershy begged with watery eyes, "you're scaring me." Her pleas for peace however, fell upon deaf ears.

"Do you wanna know why pop music is even popular?! Pop music is only popular not because it sounds good. It sucks and you have to use studio magic to sound somewhat decent," Casey breathed deeply, his anger still clouding his judgement.

"Casey," Fluttershy tried to get his attention yet again.

"Oh yeah, then how do you explain how pop bands manage to sell out crowds huh Mr. Know-It-All?" Applejack asked.

"Because, they get girls like you who dress up like whores in skin tight costumes that squeeze your bodies so much that your tits are practically hanging out so the crowd can have something to look at to distract them from your shitty music!" Everyone backstage, even Casey's bandmates gasped at his explanation. Face red with anger and heart pounding, Casey held his ground at The Rainbooms, trying to stand tall against them. "Pop music is performed by sluts and fags!" He added another insult.

"Woah, that's the meanest thing you've ever said Casey," Vinyl shook her head, "what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Well, they wanted the truth, so I gave them the damn truth," Casey replied, his anger simmering down a bit. The Brit's ears perked when he heard sniffling and crying behind him. Everyone parted to see Fluttershy with watery eyes and her hand wiping her nose.

"F-Flutters?" Casey asked, afraid he had hurt her feelings, the one thing he never wanted to do. His anger vanished like smoke in the wind and fear and regret quickly took its place.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Fluttershy swung her tambourine at Casey when he tried to hug her.

"I-I," he tried to speak, but couldn't form anything to say.

"H-how could y-you say something like that?" She cried. "Is that how you see me? Dressing like that to show off for my, bad music?" She avoided using the same swear words as Casey.

"N-no, no of course not Fluttershy," Casey attempted to explained.

"It's one thing to not like my friends Casey, I don't mind if you don't like them, but to say something _that_ cruel and hostile? You're not the same Casey that became my best friend and brother twelve years ago. I tried to accept your sarcastic behavior and salty language, but Rainbow Dash was right, you've become a big jerk!" Her eyes exploded with tears. "I don't want you to talk to me until you've come up with a real heartfelt apology to me and my friends!" She cried and hid behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"Fl-Fluttershy," Casey's eyes were threatening to release tears of their own, "p-please," he choked.

"You've done enough Knight, now get out," Rainbow pointed to the exit. At that moment, Casey's heart broke in two as he realized there was no turning back from what he had said. The Brit turned around and grimly walked back behind his bandmates. In the midst of all of this commotion, both groups failed to hear that the Dazzlings had indeed punched their ticket to the Championship Round for that night. Nor did they hear the Dazzlings sing a melody around the principals.

"Oooh, I had no idea you three were that prone to barbaric violence," Trixie taunted Casey, Vinyl and Rainbow Dash. "Oh well, it won't matter when my band gets to dethrone the Dazzlings as the principals' new pet band," she fluffed her hair in her makeup mirror. "Ooh, and it looks like they're ready to announce my victory."

"And the band that will be joining the Dazzlings tonight at 8:00 PM will be:" Luna paused for dramatic effect. "ANIMAL INSTINCT!" She shouted into the microphone as confetti rained down from the ceiling.

"**_WHAAAAAATTTTT?!_**" Trixie and the Dazzlings shouted.

"B-but, we should've tricked them into letting the Rainbooms in, Sonata what did you do?!" Adagio screeched at the blue siren.

"I did exactly what you told me to do Adagio, swearsies!"

"Also," Celestia's eyes glowed green for a second, "We have a surprise for all of you: The Rainbooms will also be joining The Dazzlings and Animal Instinct as a surprise 3rd band for the Championship Round. They've played so beautifully these past three rounds that they _deserve_ a shot at defeating Animal Instinct and the Dazzlings," the principal sneered the word deserve.

"Stupid Rock 'N Roll messing up our spell," Adagio grumbled. The melee backstage did give them another boost in power, but what the Dazzlings failed to realize was that Animal Instinct's song had corrupted the Principals' mindsets just enough to where the spell did work, but only to where they added the Rainbooms in as a third band.

"We feel that this will make the Championship Round even more intense than just two bands," Luna explained to the crowd. "So come on up and join the Dazzlings Rainbooms and Animal Instinct!" She invited the two bands up on stage.

"You eleven will PAY for the travesty that has befallen my band!" Trixie threatened and stomped away.

"Casey are you-" Vinyl turned to ask her boyfriend if he would join his bandmates and The Rainbooms on stage. But when she turned around, all that she found was Casey's Animal Instinct shirt and his _guitar_ lying on the floor and an open gym door.

"What happens ta us now?" Applebloom asked.

"Well, the Championship Round isn't until 8:00 and it's only 4:30," Vinyl explained, "we need to go find my boyfriend," she whispered to Applebloom as Luna and Celestia showed off the three bands that were heading into the finals. If only The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct knew what the Dazzlings were formulating..

**End Chapter 9**

* * *

_Uh-oh. Can Casey and Fluttershy mend their friendship in time for the Championship Round?_

_I do not own Cum on Feel the Noize originally performed by Slade but made famous by Quiet Riot. _

_I do not own Awesome as I wanna Be by Daniel Ingram._


	10. Chapter 10: A Pack Sticks Together

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 10: A Pack sticks together**

**Dante Watterson: **_A-thank you very much_

**Sanity07:** _That's very heartwarming to hear. I enjoy entertaining people. And I have to thank my parents; they played 70s and 80s rock when I was a baby instead of normal lullabies. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_Thank you. I was a little concerned with how an alternate version of Rainbow Rocks would fair. I'm glad to see it's getting positive feedback. And I wouldn't mind if you were upset at Casey being mad. I _LOATHE_ one-dimensional characters and with all of my OCs, I try my best to make them as 3-Dimensional as possible. _

**Dixie Darlin: **_Conflict makes for an interesting story..._

**Stumbledore:** _Nah. I love C*m on feel the noize too much to let it pass up. And Casey a rock version of Gordon Ramsey? HELL YEAH! That's my favorite description of him._

**dream lightning: **_Isn't it nice to see that they're not always nice to everyone and that their personalities can be a little flawed like normal people? Hope you don't take that the wrong way; Applejack and Rainbow are two of my three favorite ponies. 1) Rainbow Dash [I love Top Gun and jets] 2) Luna [I just love how out of touch she is with modern society and I was like her a lot in middle school, just wanting to fit in] 3) Applejack [I love handwork and honesty. Plus her accent is AWESOME!]_

**Wolfdragon: **_Yes, Rock SHALL live on! We just need record labels to stop giving money to these idiot rappers and pop stars! I don't know how in the hell you figured that out, though I may have made it a teensy bit obvious._

_Okay, I know some of you are asking: Captain Alaska, why is the story now Rated M? That's a good question. I feel that with the language Casey is using, we're WAY past the Teen rating. Hell, if this were a movie, the MPAA would have rated it 'R' the instant Casey says the 'F' word twice. That and due to Adagio's sinister 'Plan B' I have a gut feeling that some people might be a little uncomfortable with what it implies and that's why it is now Rated 'M'_

_Anyways guys, I thank you for reading this far. We only have two (maybe 3) chapters left before we come to the inevitable end. I ask only one thing: Can we get to 100 reviews this chapter? Please?_

* * *

**(Casey's House. 3rd Person POV)**

The distraught guitarist for Animal Instinct softly shut the door to his house and leaned against said door sadly. A sharp breath exhaled from his mouth as he blinked a few salty tear droplets out of his pale green eyes. The grey teenager let out a choked sob before wiping the tears out of his eyes with his thumb and walking upstairs. With every step Casey took, it felt like he had a fifty ton cinderblock attached to both feet. Thankful his parents were still in England visiting his aunt, (his mother especially because she adored Fluttershy) he crested the staircase and aimed for his bedroom. Leaning against the wall for support, Casey didn't care that he knocked a few pictures askew or off the wall completely; he was too depressed.

He felt like his world was crashing down upon him as he entered his room and just collapsed onto his bed, sobbing into his pillow. "You, stupid, fucking, idiot!" Casey Knight punched the wall above his bed, leaving a tiny dent in the sheetrock. How could he have ruined the greatest friendship in the world in thirty seconds? For six years he was separated from Fluttershy, and every day was a little more hellish than the last without her. And when they had been reunited for six months, he couldn't have been happier, but now because of his big mouth, everything had imploded right before his eyes. "How could you say that about her?" Casey flipped himself over, face stained with wet tears. Disgusted, he ripped off his black T-Shirt and threw it into the corner of his room.

"Steve, what have I done?" The Brit looked at a framed photo of Steve Clark on the wall of his room. The late guitarist for Def Leppard just stared back at him with empathetic eyes, not really helping Casey. Reaching into his wallet, Casey carefully and tenderly pulled out a picture that he held within every wallet he'd ever owned since he was twelve. A small, quivering smile appeared on his face as he sniffled, lightly touching the yellow girl's face that grinned towards the camera. The picture was of the two the day that Casey had to leave back for London. The then inseparable duo held their composures long enough for Casey's mother, Amanda, to snap a picture before it was time for the Knight family to board their plane. Once the flash from the camera went away, the tears began to flow.

Casey remembered hugging Fluttershy tightly as his eyes pumped out tears like clockwork. "I-I'm so, sorry Fluttershy," Casey clasped his eyes shut, squeezing out every drop of tears onto his cheeks. His grip on the old photograph tightened, slightly crumpling up the picture. He relinquished his hold on the piece of memorabilia, letting it fall onto his blanket. Casey had Vinyl as a girlfriend, but Fluttershy would always be his _best_ friend; she was always willing to hang out with him or just say hi in the hallway if he was having a sub par day. The bond he and Fluttershy held was stronger than Casey had ever seen between friends, real or not. There was the slimmest glimmer of hope that he could apologize to Fluttershy and her friends and she would forgive him, but Casey knew Fluttershy wanted a _real_ heartfelt apology. A simple, "I'm sorry," wouldn't cut it for the girl, and therein lied the problem.

His parents would be furious if they found out he left his expensive electric guitar behind the stage in the school, but that was so insignificant to Casey right now that if he had cared, he would have brought it home with him. "Oh great," Casey moaned when the realization slapped him in the face that he just abandoned his girlfriend and his bandmates at the stage over this. Just when things couldn't possibly look any bleaker for the Brit, he not only had Fluttershy angry at him, but now his three other friends and his own girlfriend were going to be mad at him, how perfect? '_Would you calm down Casey? You're just making it worse!'_ Vinyl's voice resounded in his memories. "I don't deserve a girlfriend like her," the guitarist mumbled sadly.

Looking at the clock, Casey saw that the time was 4:57, only a little over three hours until the Championship Round at the school's outdoor amphitheater. Right before he had left the school to be alone, he had in fact heard that his band moved on to the finals, but unfortunately for Animal Instinct, Casey wasn't feeling it at the moment. The bed creaked and moaned as Casey turned onto his side, staring out the window at the ever changing color of the sky above. The blue color of the day was giving in to the bright orange glow of twilight, a site that the teenager loved to watch as often as he could. His heart stopped when the doorbell to his house rang, ending his depressing daydream.

Oh how he prayed whomever was at his door would leave at once; he didn't want to really see anyone, except Fluttershy. But he knew she wouldn't be the one to seek him out after what he had said. He breathed a sigh of relief when the doorbell did not ring again, but his eyes darted all around when he heard the _creak_ and _squeak_ of the front door opening and voices downstairs. "Dear God, no," he moaned and covered his eyes with his arm, knowing exactly who was downstairs.

"I told you girls I knew where the spare key was," Vinyl held the door open so Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom could get in. The DJ/keyboardist gently shut the door and headed upstairs where the Crusaders were already waiting for her. "His room is the second door on the right," she pointed out to Sweetie Belle. Not knowing what state they would find their band leader in, the trek that lay ahead for the Crusaders was a nervous and cautious one at best. As if they were hunters, hunting one of the most skittish animals on Earth, all four girls silently tip toed to the door frame. Scootaloo shrieked when the sound of a noisy heater clanked to life in the silence, frightening her momentarily.

"How do you think he is?" Sweetie Belle fearfully inquired. The sixteen year old bassist was scared to see how crestfallen her mentor could be. Although the five had been a band for about a week, Casey was still the one who helped Sweetie Belle with her english homework, and not because he _was_ english, but because he was kind enough to help her when Rarity was far too busy. He was also the only one who really did anything about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's bullying to her and the other two Crusaders, getting the bully duo to stop. Sweetie Belle considered Casey to be like a big brother to her for all he's done for her and her friends. Did she harbor secret feelings for the Brit? No, she respected and loved him like a brother, not as a romantic partner.

"He managed to get _Fluttershy_ to yell at him," Scootaloo replied, turning her head back to Sweetie Belle, "that would make anyone upset, and rightfully so," she added. Leading the way, Vinyl softly knocked her milky knuckles on her boyfriend's bedroom door, surprised to find that it was ajar. The bronze door hinges squeaked when Vinyl's knuckles gently pushed the door open.

"Oh wow," Applebloom pursed her lips when the quartet of girls discovered their band leader curled up in the fetal position, shirtless and facing the window. Instead of rushing around to his aide, each girl slowly approached the bed, taking different spots around the edge. Vinyl and Sweetie Belle took the side of the bed near the window while Scootaloo and Applebloom took the foot of the bed. Vinyl had a few things she wanted to say to Casey, but the DJ knew that Casey had never blown up like that before, and that yelling at him when he was in this condition would only make things worsen. What really worried her and Sweetie Belle was the fact that his eyes were glazed over and that they hadn't moved at all when they got in front of him, nor did he even acknowledge them entering his room.

"Hey Case, you okay babe?" The lover of wub placed her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, shaking it gently. The lead singer and guitarist finally shifted his eyes from the window up to his girlfriend's magenta eyes, yet his mouth remained closed. "Come on, we just wanna chat with you Casey," Vinyl shook his shoulder again. Casey shook his shoulder out of Vinyl's hand, deviating his eyes from Vinyl's and moving them back to the window.

_"I don't wanna talk right now Vi,"_ the boy replied to Vinyl Scratch.

"AJ always says talkin' 'bout yer problems makes ya feel better," Applebloom said from the foot of Casey's bed. He shifted his head down to the end and age a quick look to Applebloom and Scootaloo before laying his head back on his pillow.

_"There's nothing to talk about girls," _Casey murmured. _"When you make someone as sweet and innocent as Fluttershy cry, you've done one of the worst things imaginable,"_ he added with a croak.

"Come on dude," Scootaloo hit Casey's foot with her hand, "stop moping, that won't fix any issues, especially ones with our sisters," she explained. Casey sputtered, wiping his eyes with his arm and sat turned his body around to face the drummer.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he sheepishly and robotically apologized, "I-I just," Casey couldn't think of a way to put it. He acted like a Grade-A jackass, and there was no sugar coating that. "My anger just-" he began to say.

"Turned you into a colossal ass-hat for thirty seconds?" Scootaloo cut him off. The guitarist stared at the drummer as if he were staring into space before raising his hand and shrugging his shoulder, admitting defeat and collapsing back onto his bed. Angry, Sweetie Belle marched over and slapped Scootaloo's shoulder, catching her off guard. "_What the heck was that for?"_ she whispered, rubbing where her fellow bandmate had hit her.

"_Casey's already feeling depressed enough; he doesn't need you making him feel worse!"_ She scolded Scootaloo. The bassist turned back to her mentor, saddened that he was in such a state so polar opposite from how she had seen him. Had his yelling and facial expressions scared her when he was shouting at The Rainbooms? Well of course, but that wasn't enough to make her angry or upset at him, even if Fluttershy was hurt and Vinyl was displeased. But after witnessing the happiness and energy Casey emitted onstage whilst singing and playing his electric guitar, it was so surreal to look at Casey as if someone had jammed a needle in his arm and extrapolated all of the joy and spirit from his body.

Sweetie Belle wiped a singular tear that made its way out of her tear ducts before more would flow. There was only one thing she could do to help Casey, and she wasn't going to sit here and let him wallow in his own pity. She gently pushed past Vinyl whom was still trying to think of a way to get her boyfriend to open up a little more, and stuck her hand under Casey's right arm. "_What are ya doin' there mate?"_ Casey croaked. Sweetie Belle said nothing in return and snuggled her head under Casey's right arm and on top of his left arm, pulling it out so she wouldn't cut off the circulation in his veins. She then rested her head on the same pillow as Casey, cuddling up to him affectionately, albeit as just a friend.

"I can't stand to see someone as energetic as you so lifeless Casey," Sweetie Belle snuggled her friend tighter. Vinyl, Scootaloo and Applebloom exchanged confused glances and returned their gazes to their other friends on the bed. "I know you think that there's nothing to talk about, but there _is_ Casey," the bassist's eyes morphed into puppy dog eyes, trying to win over Casey so he would listen.

_'This is a little weird,' _Vinyl thought to herself, looking at her boyfriend cuddling Sweetie Belle. Vinyl, however, knew that Casey and Sweetie Belle were practically brother and sister now and had no romantic feelings towards each other, but it was still a little off-putting to see her boyfriend cuddling another girl.

"And what might that be Sweetie Belle?" Casey's voice sounded normal once again, but the rest of his band didn't hold their breath. "Scootaloo hit it perfectly, I just lost my temper and turned into a colossal ass-hat, no two ways about it," he reiterated the drummer's statement. What happened next, no one could see coming.

**_SLAP!_**

Sweetie Belle's hand shook as a red imprint glowed on Casey's right cheek. Vinyl's hand curled into a fist, having seen enough of Casey getting smacked around and not being able to hit back because it was a female whom had hit him. "Oh damn," Scootaloo muttered in shock.

"Stop, talking," the normally cheery Sweetie Belle exclaimed darkly. "I'm not talking about what happened after the third round. What we need to talk about is _why_ you don't like our sisters very much. That'll help us understand why you exploded on them like a volcano," she explained. Casey wheezed, rubbing his cheek and getting over the realization that _Sweetie Belle_ of all people had hit him.

"O-okay," Casey removed his hand from his cheek, pushed Sweetie Belle away and sat up with his back against his headboard. Sweetie Belle scooted over so she could still cuddle up to Casey, but she made damn sure to not get too lenient with him as she wanted an explanation. "I do have to say girls," Casey stared down at his feet on top of the blanket, daring not to look any of his bandmates in the eye just yet. "It's a selfish reason, and I am not proud of why I hated them or how I handled it," he admitted, his hands shaking a bit.

"That's a good start babe," Vinyl got on her knees, propping herself up on the bed with her elbows. Her hand grasped his foot and squeezed it lightly, "just admitting you know it was wrong is a good start," she repeated. Casey took a deep, deep breath and exhaled, running his hands up his face and back through his jet black mullet.

"When I first arrived back here from London six months ago, I was overjoyed and thrilled to be back with Fluttershy and to spend time with her and catch up on six years of being apart," Casey began. "And keep in mind that we wrote letters for the first few years, but thanks to social media like MyFace, we were able to IM and share pictures of special events that happened. We also would send each other Birthday wishes and pictures of our birthday parties so we wouldn't miss out. And thank Jimi Hendrix when Skype was invented," he added.

"What's with the trip down memory lane? Get to the point where you hated our sisters!" Scootaloo demanded.

"I'm getting to that Ms. Impatience," Casey rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to set the scene." Sweetie Belle and Vinyl gave the drummer dirty looks to get her to shut her yap. Scootaloo responded by putting bubble gum in her mouth and crossing her arms. "Anyways, I knew about her friends thanks to MyFace because she would share pictures of all of them whenever they would hang out or if they went someplace special, like the premiere of _The Avengers_," Casey explained. "I didn't mind them much; they became MyFace friends with me, though it was a rare occurrence that they would even talk to me. Applejack sometimes dropped me a line; Rainbow Dash _never_ talked to me. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were an exception as Pinkie loved to talk to anyone and Rarity loved England and would ask me tons of questions."

Applebloom cocked her head to the side, puzzled. "But, that don't sound like ya had any problems with our sisters, or that they had any problems with ya?" She scratched her head, sitting down on the foot of the bed.

"I know, at first everything seemed okay at the worst, yet that was all before I returned to Canterlot City," Casey replied. "I met Applejack first on my way to see Fluttershy at the Animal Shelter, and then I met the rest of the group at Sugar Cube Corner."

"Right, we first met you when Applebloom almost ran you over," Scootaloo popped her gum and Applebloom blushed.

"And then I met Vinyl and we became a couple," the Brit tried to smirk lovingly at his girlfriend, but she shook her head, urging him to get to the point of his story. "Right, sorry Vi," he apologized, clearing his throat. "It all started about a week or two after I returned. I had kept wanting to see a movie after school with Fluttershy or have a retro gaming Friday and play _Super Mario World _on my _Super Nintendo._ But all week Fluttershy had plans with all of her friends, helping with homework, cleaning out the cages at the pet store, jamming with her band, helping Rarity with modeling her new outfits, _assisting Rainbow with her soccer drills!"_ He growled and shouted the last part.

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down hun," Vinyl grabbed his wrist and gently squeezed it until his face stopped looking angry. While the girls tried to keep Casey calm so he could continue on with his story, a certain trio of sirens appeared from behind the leaves of the tree outside of Casey's bedroom window. Adagio, as always, was at the point, parting a few leaves with her hands so she could see inside.

"Adagio, do we really have to waste time on this loser again?" Aria leaned against the trunk of the tree.

"Aw, he looks so sad! I just wanna wrap my arms around his big, muscular body and squeeze him!" Sonata reached her arms forward only to have Adagio yank her back behind the leaves.

"Shut up, the both of you!" the ringleader ordered. "I don't care that he's completely distraught right now. He's down, and we have to kick him even harder. If they manage to show up to the finals tonight, they could ruin everything!" She exclaimed with barred teeth, "I can't take that chance, not after how close I am!" She added.

"But what about The Rainbooms Adagio?" Aria questioned sarcastically, "can't they ruin it for us too?"

"That puppet Trixie will take care of those losers right before the event starts, leaving us and her to 'battle it out' as Luna put it," the poofy haired siren air-quoted with her fingers. She then checked the clock in Casey's room that was right above his door. "And it's 5:20 right now, Trixie should be getting rid of the Rainbooms within the hour."

"Okay, so then how will you make sure that Animal Instinct doesn't get to the final round at all?" Aria double-checked, still full of doubt with Adagio's plan.

"Oh, we don't need to keep Animal Instinct from showing up, just him," Adagio pointed to Casey as he calmed down, "take out the alpha-male, and the pack is helpless," she chuckled. She then contemplated several ideas that could keep Casey from attending the final show, but nothing could come up. Reaching into her pocket, the siren produced an old-style tape recorder that she had acquired in the 1980s to try and double their siren effect on the world back then, but their voices lost their powers over tape recordings as they found out the hard way. "I think I have an idea girls," she finally said and used a little bit of her magic to crack open Casey's window silently, setting the recorder on the window sill.

Back inside Casey's room, the guitarist had simmered down and was ready to continue on with his story. "It was a combination of things really. Here's where the selfishness kicks in girls," Casey announced. "Essentially, I felt angry and afraid, all because of her friends. Fluttershy and I still got to spend _some_ time together, but a vast majority of the time, she was too busy with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie or Applejack, and that didn't sit well with me," Casey used his free arm to hold his forehead before continuing on. "I just got _so_ jealous that they were spending more time with Fluttershy than I could. And remember that we didn't really have any other friends in Elementary School, so we spent all of our free time together," he reminded his bandmates.

"So you let your jealousy block your judgement?" Sweetie Belle questioned. Casey responded with a gloomy nod.

"No matter how friendly they were, I really didn't pay much attention. That's when I adopted my sarcastic personality around only them. I do however, sort of enjoy Pinkie Pie. Sunset and Twilight; they're not annoying enough for me and I barely know Twilight. Anyhow, whenever Fluttershy and I would finally get some time to hang out with each other and one of her other friends wanted to join or just wanted to say hi, that's when I would purposefully become sarcastic and a bit of a jerk so I could run them off," Casey clenched his eyes shamefully.

"Wow, that _is _pretty crappy 'o ya," Applebloom scolded, slapping Casey's leg.

"I deserve that," Casey nonchalantly waved off the slap.

"There's gotta be more to it than that Case," Vinyl folded her arms.

"Oh there is, you won't be disappointed," the Brit rolled his eyes. "I was also afraid that Fluttershy would find me boring now that she had so many friends. I of course was happy that she could make other friends, yet at the same time I became worried that she'd get bored with me and want nothing else to do with me," Casey sighed.

"That and your hatred for pop music didn't help, did it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Actually, I don't hate pop music," Casey sheepishly replied, "I lied and used that to mask what I was truly feeling," he uncomfortably smiled. "It's no way in hell better than rock, but I don't hate it. You girls must think I'm an asshole don't you?" The four girls looked away from Casey and towards each other, trying to come up with an answer.

"Well, jealousy is pretty disgusting bro," Scootaloo replied, "and you really should have talked to Fluttershy about it."

"Or _me_," Vinyl placed a loving hand on his shoulder. "I've told you countless times that if something is on your mind, I'm always here to talk it out with you," she kissed his cheek.

"Or any of us really," Sweetie Belle hugged him even tighter, "you've always helped us with our problems; the least we could've done was help you with yours," she gave Casey the sweetest look imaginable.

"I still feel awful about all this," Casey reiterated. "I know I need to apologize for what I said. But how am I going to be able to face any of them, including Fluttershy, after those dreadful names I called them?" Scootaloo popped a bubble and smirked, leaning against Casey's shoulder.

"A pack sticks together bro, we'll be behind you every step of the way!" Casey looked around at all of his friends and his girlfriend, thankful that they would still stick with him even after his blow up.

"You won't have to face them alone," Sweetie Belle loosened her hug on the Brit, "after tonight's Championship Round, we'll all head to Sugar Cube Corner and you can give out your apology to our sisters, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Sunset!"

"But I didn't say anything mean to Sunset, just to the Rainbooms," Casey retorted.

"Best ta get 'em all while ya can so ya don't look like yer playin' favorites," Applebloom explained. Casey nodded in agreement and was about to say something else along the lines of having friends helps in learning from mistakes, but Scootaloo's gum chewing was starting to get annoying. She began to smack it loudly and her bubbles sounded as loud as a balloon popping.

"Hey Scoots, ya wanna stop chewing so loud or spit that out? It's getting on my nerves," Casey politely advised. The drummer rolled her eyes and stuffed the piece of gum into the corner of her mouth. "Thank you," he sighed happily. "So, are you girls ready to kick ass at the Championship Round?"

"Of course babe," Vinyl put her sunglasses back on. "I hope your signature song is ready, we've been working on that won for awhile now."

"Oh, I won't be playing or singing," Casey stretched as Sweetie Belle relinquished her hold on him. All four girls gasped and shook their heads, thinking what they had heard was nothing but a figment of their imaginations.

"W-what? But you _have_ to play! It won't be the same without you!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed sadly.

"I don't deserve to after what I've done. However, you four can do this, I know you can. Sweetie Belle, you can be the lead singer and play the bass again right?" He asked the girl that had been cuddling him.

"No deal bro, we gotta have the Shredinator up there with us," Scootaloo popped her gum again.

"Shredinator? What the hell is that?" The Brit asked.

"Your stage name," she popped her gum again. "Vinyl is DJ-Pon3 when she's being a DJ, and if I'm not mistaken Steve Clark was known as Steamin' Steve and the Riffmaster," Scootaloo explained.

"Hmm, I like it, but I still don't think I should play," Casey said again. Vinyl grabbed him by his shirt collar and shook him like a rag doll.

"You are Casey Knight, you've never given up on _anything!_ I will make damn sure you won't give up on this, you understand?" She shook him violently. Casey softly put his hands on her arms and stroked. Before Casey could answer, Scootaloo popped her gum louder than before. Unfortunately, all of the pink goo left her mouth and landed in the hair of Sweetie Belle.

"EWWWWWWWWW!" Sweetie Belle screeched and put her hands in her hair. "GET IT OUT, GET IT OUT, GET IT OUT!" She begged and started to really freak out.

"God dammit Scootaloo!" Casey cursed, "that's why I hate people who pop their gum!" He scolded his bandmate and went to help Sweetie Belle. The drummer blushed in embarrassment and innocently whistled.

"This is so nasty! My hair is ruined!" Sweetie Belle had a little Rarity moment.

"Don't touch it; you'll push it down further!" Casey warned and held her to keep her from freaking out. "Casey'll get you out of this," the Brit promised to Sweetie Belle. He began to grunt as he weaved his fingers through Sweetie Belle's purple and pink hair to get under the gum. "Oh damn it's a tight fit," he grunted.

"OW!" Sweetie Belle squeaked in pain.

"Sorry," Casey apologized, "trying to make it so it won't hurt."

"Pull it out, pull it out!" Sweetie Belle pleaded. "OWHOWHOW!" She screamed in pain as Casey tried to pull the gum out again.

"Look Sweetie Belle, you'll feel much better if you stop screaming like a little bitch," Casey said as he again tried to pull the gum out. Tears were now streaming down the girl's face from pain and from fear of how her hair would turn out.

"There we go," Casey sighed as some gum came out. Sweetie Belle bit into her hand to muffle her screams and distract her from the pain. Outside the room, Adagio was chuckling evilly yet quietly as her Plan B was put into place.

"Making gum land her hair? Really Adagio? Even Sonata isn't that stupid," Aria poked fun.

"Yeah, hey!" Sonata realized she had been insulted.

"Ugh you both are idiots!" Adagio gritted her teeth and snatched the tape recorder, pushing the stop button. "Follow me, we just need to bring this to the right people," she smirked. "Everything will be perfect in just a few hours," she cackled.

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**(Twenty Minutes Later. 3rd Person POV)**

Casey only managed to get a minuscule amount of gum out of Sweetie Belle's hair before Vinyl, Scootaloo and Applebloom took the poor girl into the bathroom with scissors and a jar of JIF peanut butter to help with the gum. The Brit had agreed, finally, to join his band in the final round. He had realized that it would be extremely selfish to abandon them when they needed his guidance and encouragement the most. "Whatever your hair looks like Sweetie Belle," Casey said from the other side of the door, "you'll still be the prettiest Junior in the school," he helped to make her feel better. Luckily it was only about 5:45; the Championship Round was still about 2 hours away. A knock on the door drew him away from the bathroom momentarily. The Brit opened the door, only to have two police officers standing in the door way. "Evening officers, is there something I can assist you with?"

"Are you Casey Knight, son?" One of the officers questioned. Casey nodded, completely flabbergasted as to why the police of all people wanted to talk to him. Suddenly, both officers grabbed him by the arms and slammed him against the stairway wall.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS ABOUT!?" Casey demanded as one officer handcuffed him and the other patted him down.

"You're under arrest for rape and child molestation you sick fuck," the second officer said into his ear and yanked him away from the stairs by his mullet.

"THE BLOODY FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT!" Casey replied angrily. The first officer produced a tape recorder from his shirt pocket and pressed play. The Brit fell silent as his voice and Sweetie Belle's voice was played over the tape recorder.

_"Don't touch it; you'll push it down further!" "Oh damn it's a tight fit,"_

_"OW!"_

_"Trying to make it so it won't hurt."_

_"Pull it out, pull it out!" "OWHOWHOW!"_

_"Look Sweetie Belle, you'll feel much better if you stop screaming like a little bitch."_

The officer grunted in disgust and pressed the pause button on the recorder. "You're going away for a long time Knight. People like you keep me up at night and encourage me to keep scum off the street," he sacked Casey with his police baton in the stomach.

"No, officers, you've got it all wrong, I swear!" Casey pleaded.

"Just wait until the other inmates in jail get wind of what you've done. Normal convicts _despise_ child fuckers," The second officer chuckled.

"VINYL! HELP ME!" Casey screamed up the stairs as the officers pulled him outside. Vinyl burst from the bathroom and ran downstairs to see her boyfriend being shoved into a cop car. "GET FLUTTERSHY! SHE CAN HELP! YOU KNOW I'M INNOCENT!" He yelled before the cop door shut. Casey was still trying to yell as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"Casey! No, you've got it all wrong officers!" Vinyl tried to explain before the police took off. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined her on the lawn.

"What just happened? Why'd Casey get arrested?" Sweetie Belle worriedly asked.

"We've gotta find Fluttershy and clear Casey's name," Vinyl escorted the Crusaders into her car.

**End Chapter 10**

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_Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuunnnnn! How's that for a Plan B by Adagio? Will Casey's name be cleared in time for the Championship Round? Will Vinyl and the Crusaders find Fluttershy in time?_


	11. Chapter 11: So, so Sorry

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 11: So, So Sorry**

**LinkonPark100: **_I totally read that in Robot Chicken M. Night Shamaylan's voice lol. _

**dream lighting: **_While this was a twist I had come up with early on, this was also an example of how messed up our justice system and society are when it comes to this crime subject. Too many people automatically believe the accusers and then shut off from hearing the accused's side of the story. I do NOT condone that crime at all, but submitting false reports just to ruin someone's life is awful as well. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_Idiot cops who believe anything anyone tells them lol. And plus it was good for the moral of the story which'll be revealed in the final chapter. _

**Stumbledore:** _Surprising, despicable, abhorrent, morbid I can go on all day bro. I wanted a good twist too. _

**Dixie Darlin:** _Exactly, and that's one thing that's fucked up about our society when it comes to that subject. The worse part is, people submit false reports and most people automatically assume they're telling the truth without evidence!_

**Sassymouse: **_No, they should be thrown in a dungeon while Nicki Minage and Justin Beiber sing to them all day and all night long for 1000 years. Make Luna's punishment seem like a vacation!_

**Guest (1):** _Because, race cars :P_

**WolfDragon: **_Eeyup_

_Here we go guys, after this chapter, Chapter 12 is the grand finale. And thank you all for getting this short story to 100 reviews already!_

* * *

**(CHS Amphitheater.)**

While the majority of The Rainbooms were busy tuning up their instruments, practicing a few chords or attempting to complete a counter spell, one member in particular sat down solemnly on an amp. The buttery yellow girl barely clung to her tambourine as the instrument hung precariously on the tips of her slim fingers, threatening at any moment to crash to the stage floor with a loud clatter. Fluttershy sighed while a single salty tear dripped from her eye and slid down her cheek. Sunset Shimmer took a brief moment from standing on the sidelines to go and see what was wrong with her friend, though she had a pretty good guess on what the situation was. Even Spike ceased playing with his blue rope toy to see what was wrong with Fluttershy.

"Hey, are you doing okay Fluttershy?" Sunset sat down on another amp that was right next to Fluttershy. The kindest girl at Canterlot High School quickly wiped her singular tear way from her cheek and turned her head over to the fiery haired girl next to her. The purple dog jumped up and landed on Fluttershy's lap, nuzzling her tummy affectionally, hoping to draw a smile to her face. Spike's efforts were rewarded with a small smile, but he could tell it wasn't helping Fluttershy.

"_Do you think I was too harsh with him?"_ Fluttershy barely managed to squeak out. Spike stopped nuzzling Fluttershy's stomach and sat back onto his haunches, looking up at her both confused and unsure of what to say. He didn't really trust Casey even when he first met the stranger, and he particularly didn't like how Casey had insulted every member of the Rainbooms except, Sunset, Twilight and Fluttershy without a second thought. Sunset however, squeezed Fluttershy's shoulder lightly.

"I think you were just harsh enough with him Fluttershy," Sunset replied, still not releasing her grip on her friend's shoulder. "From what I could tell, he meant well enough with Vinyl, the girls and you," she began.

"B-but," Fluttershy's eyes started to well up with tears yet again, "w-why would he say those nasty things to the rest of my friends? I've never seen a nasty side like that from him before in my life," the timid teenager wiped her eyes. Now the tambourine hanging off her slender fingers fell to the stage floor with a clatter. Amidst their own conversations, the rest of The Rainbooms jumped or yelped at the sudden noise, causing them to cast their gazes over to Fluttershy, Sunset and Spike.

"Listen Fluttershy," Sunset continued, not changing her tone of voice, "I may not speak up a lot in this group, but I think you need to hear this," the fiery haired girl admitted. "You know I'm still new to this whole friendship concept, but I could tell that you and Casey were inseparable even when he came back from England," Sunset explained. "However, did you ever notice how unhappy he was whenever one of us would show up while you two were talking or hanging out?" She questioned. Fluttershy looked down at the puppy in her lap and nodded solemnly. "Remind me again, did you and Casey have any other friends in Elementary School?"

"N-no," the pink haired girl shook her head, "all we had was each other and our parents and that's all we needed to be happy." Sunset nodded, taking a look at every other member in the group of friends.

"I thought so," was all Sunset replied. "Tell me, did he ever talk to you about your new friends, or did he just up and leave whenever they arrived? Maybe he just stayed silent the whole time, only giving one word replies and mumbling?" Fluttershy began to scratch Spike's ears, earning her a tiny thumping sound on her lap from his rear leg going crazy.

"It was the last two," Fluttershy finally spoke, "though it was mainly Casey just staying silent and only muttering a word or two whenever I'd talk to him," she explained.

"Uh-huh," Sunset finally relinquished her grip on Fluttershy's shoulder. "One last thing Fluttershy," Sunset swore that this was the last question she'd ask the saddened girl. "When Casey came back, or even when you two talked while he was in England, did he ever mention making new friends while he was gone?" The slender yellow fingers slowly stopped scratching the purple dog, curling up as Fluttershy brought her hand close to her chin and scratched.

"Come to think of it, no, Casey never mentioned making new friends in England. The closet thing he had to actual friends were kids he'd just say hi or hello to in the halls or if he'd recognize them on the street," she continued scratching her chin, trying to keep collecting clues from the past to explain Casey's sudden public outburst.

"You don't think he was just jealous of The Rainbooms, do you?" Spike finally spoke up, moving his gaze upwards to Fluttershy's eyes.

"Oh no," the yellow teen's eyes began to water yet again. "How could I have been so blind? I should've seen the signs a long time ago and talked to him about them!" Fluttershy cried out, using her arm to soak up the salty tears. Spike whined and nuzzled her belly, attempting anything to placate the sorrowful girl.

"It's okay Fluttershy," Sunset said sweetly, "but it's _not_ your fault," she crossed her arms over her chest. "If Casey was jealous of your new friends, he should've talked to you about his feelings instead of locking them away from the world," she explained.

"_But bottling up jealousy for only six months shouldn't equate to an angry rant like that_," Fluttershy blew her nose on a napkin.

"Well, that all depends on how much he was bottling up Fluttershy," Sunset corrected, "if he bottled all of it up every single time you even mentioned your friends, then it makes all the more sense that he bottled it up until the cork couldn't hold the pressure." Fluttershy was about to say something else when Rainbow scoffed and marched her way over to the three, slinging her guitar behind her back.

"Geez Fluttershy, enough with the sobbing about Casey alright?!" The cyan athlete scolded, "he was an asshole, plain and simple," Rainbow threw her arms into the air.

"He was my brother Rainbow!" Fluttershy defended, "I know he was too abrasive and cold to you four, but I was too blind to see it and talk to him about it," she cried.

"Whatever," Rainbow rolled her eyes, "just stop whining about the loser and get ready to practice a few more times before the finale," she ordered Fluttershy to grab her instrument. Now, Fluttershy rarely showed her anger towards anyone, especially the one that befriended her in junior high after Casey left, but at that moment, Fluttershy was seeing red.

"I'm going to talk to him about this Rainbow," Fluttershy stood up, "you know, after we practice a bit," her shy side still dominated.

"Oh no!" Applejack confronted the tambourine player. "Yer _not_ gonna go 'n get yer feelin's hurt by him again, 'specially after what he said 'n before the final round," Applejack waved her finger in front of Fluttershy's nose.

"A performance we really shouldn't be giving considering our horrendous penultimate round," Rarity admitted, yet was shushed by everyone in the band, save for Twilight whom was nervously chewing on her eraser.

"Look girls," Fluttershy shoved AJ's finger out of her face, "now I don't care what any of you think of Casey. I _know_ it was wrong and nasty of him to say those things, especially in public, but you never knew how sweet and kind he was when I was little. There's still a caring and loving soul inside of Casey; I've seen it while he's with Vinyl and especially around your sisters," she pointed to AJ, Rainbow and Rarity. "I think after he's had some time to cool down, I can talk to him about this and try to end this stupid dirty air between you!" She raised her voice only slightly, but it garnered everyone's full attention.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here!" An all too familiar and egotistical voice cackled. The seven girls and one puppy jerked their heads up to see none other than Trixie Lulamoon munching on some peanut butter crackers with her two goons. "If it isn't the Rainbums, practicing for a finals round that YOU RIGGED TO BE IN!" She jabbed an accusing finger towards the six members of the pop group.

"Butt-hurt losers are in the nosebleeds, WAY up there Trixie!" Rainbow yelled, pointing her own finger at the very top seats of the bleacher seats of the amphitheater.

"Aha, but it isn't up there where the losers shall be!" Trixie declared, grabbing a nearby lever, "_you_ cheaters will have a nice view of the prop closet!" She shouted. But before she could pull said lever, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Scootaloo and Vinyl came rushing up the stage at about Ludicrous Speed, knocking Trixie and her two goons down into the mosh pit. "GAHH!" Trixie exclaimed as she and her two bandmates collapsed onto each other, unable to move as the pain from falling overpowered them.

"Out of the way auto tuners!" Scootaloo declared when she saw the three girls fall.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie, will walk it off!" Trixie groaned from down below.

"Girls, what is the matter?" Rarity asked, concerned when Sweetie Belle ran up to her with tears staining her cheeks as she tightly hugged Rarity around her waist. "And what happened to your beautiful hair!?" She screeched after seeing some bits were lopped off with scissors. Vinyl wiped some sweat from her brow as she caught her breath, standing in front of Fluttershy.

"Vinyl? Where's Casey?" Fluttershy questioned. The DJ bent over, grasping her knees and gasping for air having run like crazy after parking her car. She couldn't even remember putting her car in park; Vinyl had literally bailed while pulling into the parking lot. "Is everything okay?" she asked again when she saw how upset Vinyl looked.

"CASEY GOT ARRESTED!" The DJ finally blurted out, standing upright.

"WHAT?!" came the resounding, shocked reply of everyone, even Spike and Twilight whom was taking a break from writing the counter spell to clear her head. "What do you mean Casey got arrested?!" Fluttershy freaked out, "what are his charges!?"

"We could barely hear through the bathroom door while cuttin' Sweetie Belle's hair 'cause 'o the gum that landed there," Applebloom began. Rarity clutched her chest, having a panicked moment at the thought of chewed gum in Sweetie's hair.

"But we could hear someone slamming Casey against the wall, accusing him of raping one of us!" Scootaloo finished. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack all reacted the exact same way: twitchy eyes, shaking hands, furring eyebrows and clenched jaws. Rainbow ditched her guitar, zoomed over to Vinyl and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Which one did he touch!? I'LL KILL HIM!" She shouted in the DJ's face. Vinyl angrily shoved the athlete off of her, removing her purple shades to show how angry she was.

"Casey, didn't, touch, _anyone_," she growled in response.

"Yeah! It's a bunch 'o crap. Casey'd _never_ do that ta us!" Applebloom agreed.

"He forced me to zip up my jumpsuit when I wanted to show off a bit like you Rarity," Sweetie Belle defended her friend. The keytar player's jaw dropped at hearing what her little sister and told her, and as usual, Rarity took it out of context.

"You wanted to show off your cleavage?! Sweetie Belle, I've taught you better than that! I know I sometimes like to show off a bit, but only on occasion and not in front of the whole school!" She wiggled her index finger.

"That's what you took from that!?" Sweetie shouted, "Casey forced me to zip back up! He didn't want me to show off like that because he cares about my well-being," she shook her fist.

"**_GIRLS!_**" Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs.

"And then I told Derpy that cupcakes _totally _make good breakfast snacks!" Pinkie randomly blurted out before smiling awkwardly and shutting up. Time seemed to have stopped for everyone sitting on the stage as Fluttershy practically had steam shooting out of her nose. The Crusaders hid behind their sisters, a little frightened of Fluttershy. "Did you try to clear his name?" She softly asked Vinyl after cooling down.

"No, Casey told us to come straight here to get you to help us," Vinyl responded. "He said you could help better than anyone," she explained. Without missing a step or second guessing herself, Fluttershy pushed the DJ aside and began to jog away from the stage, only to have Rainbow bolt like lightning from her spot and stage and grab Fluttershy by the arm.

"Hold on, where the heck do you think you're going?! We still have to practice for the finale and put those stupid sirens in their place," Rainbow jerked on Fluttershy's arm, causing her to yelp in pain. "Just forget about that loser for five minutes and get focused on saving the world!" Rainbow yelled. Fluttershy responded in a way that no one, not even Yoda, could foresee. She grabbed Rainbow's arm and shoved her away. Not one to ever get physical, Fluttershy held her ground against the guitarist.

"Now _you_ listen to _me _Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said darkly, "I am going to clear my best friend's name and get him released from jail. I know he's innocent and if you want to sit on your butt bad mouthing him, be my guest. Anyone who wants to stay and practice for this _stupid_ contest, go on ahead, but I am going to rescue my friend, and no one is going to stop me," she glared at her friends and turned her heel, leaving the amphitheater and heading in the direction of the police station.

"Woah," Vinyl whistled. It didn't take long for Vinyl, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to ditch The Rainbooms and go with Fluttershy to rescue their bandmate. Rainbow Dash stood as still as a statue, still trying to comprehend that Fluttershy not only stood up to her, but actually pushed her away. The rest of the band could only look at each other, waiting for at least one other person to do something. At last, Sunset stood up, gave one look to her friends and walked in the same direction as the others.

"Aw heck," Applejack threw her bass off to the side and into its case, "c'mon," she motioned to Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow.

"B-But, what about our instruments?" Rainbow demanded, "I don't think Ms. Third Person is gonna stay down there for very long," the cyan guitarist pointed to the mosh pit with her thumb.

"Bring them with us darling," Rarity rolled her blue eyes. "Come Spikey-Wikey," the fashionista patted her leg, causing the purple puppy to jump into her awaiting arms. Rainbow groaned, slinging her guitar behind her back in anger.

**(Canterlot City Jail.)**

Casey hadn't exactly gotten the comfiest ride from his house to the police station. He had decided to quiet down once he had been pushed inside the squad car so nothing would be used against him should this incident go to court, which he feared it would. The two officers drug him into the station and roughly slammed him into an empty chair, still handcuffed, but Casey didn't struggle one bit. Once the two officers filled out a bit of paperwork, they grabbed him by the shoulders once again and threw him into a rather large jail cell that had about six other occupants.

Still keeping his mouth shut, Casey occupied an empty spot in the corner closest to the bars, hoping that the misunderstanding would be over with soon. "Hey, nice hair," a gruff voice complimented Casey from across the cell.

"Thanks, mate," Casey cocked his head to the side and replied quietly. He wasn't afraid of his six cell mates, but Casey sure didn't trust any of them. Some were missing some teeth, one had an eyepatch and two of them had many scars on their arms. One of them, however, had an acoustic guitar that he was just randomly strumming, out of tune no less.

"Woah, we got us a fancy boy here with that fancy pants accent of his," another cell mate chortled. This guy had a long beard that was full of crumbs and other junk and he had on a ripped tank top. "You gonna do our taxes fancy boy?" He joked.

"Ah yes, just because I'm from England means I'm fancy, typical stereotypes," Casey rolled his eyes, leaning against the cold, wet stone block of the cell wall. A third cell occupant cleared his throat, garnering Casey's attention.

"I'll have to apologize for my friend here, he was only picked up about a day or two ago and he's still pretty bummed about it," the guy apologized. "Name's Beam, Jim Beam yes ironic I know, but I don't drink at all," Jim shook Casey's hand, "I'm in for trying to lift a couple packs of smokes from the 7-11," he explained.

"Casey, Casey Knight," the Brit shook Jim's hand. Okay, this guy seemed nice enough.

"How old are you exactly Casey?" Jim questioned, scratching his head. "You look like you're still in high school!"

"18 Mr. Beam, and I'm in here for a complete misunderstanding and framing," Casey replied, "I know you all have heard that so many times before, but it's true," he defended his explanation. "I don't know who framed me and why, but I'm stuck in here for God knows how long," he sat down on a wooden bench.

"Say no more kid, we're not here to judge," a fourth cell mate who had the eyepatch waved.

"And don't worry none, we're all straight here," a guy wearing a muscle shirt assured Casey. His eyes bulged out of his head as he turned away from his six cell mates. _'Vinyl, Fluttershy, girls, where are you?'_ He mentally asked in fear. The fear, however, was shattered when the sixth cell mate struck a chord so off-key, Casey covered his ears.

"Do you have any clue on how to tune that fucking thing?" Casey snapped. The guy ceased strumming the strings and looked over at the Brit.

"Not really, I jacked this thing from an alley before I got cuffed for public drunkenness," he explained, twisting the tuning knobs few times. "No wait, I whizzed on a cop car, that's what it was," he corrected. Casey grimaced and shuddered, almost second guessing taking the instrument from the drunk.

"Besides, what the heck do you know about that?" Jim questioned, leaning casually against the stone wall, "do you play or have you played before in the past?" he scratched his goatee.

"For your information gentlemen, I am in a rock band at the local high school and I am the lead guitarist and vocalist," Casey explained, cringing every time the drunk of the cell played horribly out of tune.

"Well then, see what you can do with her," the drunk offered, throwing the guitar across the cell to Casey whom caught it before it hit the ground. Shrugging, Casey remembered real rockstars have touched guitars laced with worse things than urine and he was pretty sure that this one clean, so nothing bothered him. Almost instantaneously, Casey expertly tuned up the guitar until it was 100% perfect.

"Here ya go mate, good as new," Casey stood up and walked the acoustic instrument back to his cell mate.

"Eh, keep it kid, you'll do more good with it than I ever will," the drunk said before passing out. Looking down at the guitar in his hand, the Brit sighed and walked back to his bench spot before setting the instrument into the corner and lying down on said bench. Just as he was about to start gathering his thoughts, especially why he didn't get his one phone call, one of the officers knocked on the bars with his baton.

"Soups on ya pieces of crap," he muttered before opening a little slot and began to slide plates of, slop through. One by one, every cell member except Casey and the drunk grabbed a plate of 'food' and sat back down in their spots. "Come on Mr. Fancy britches," the officer threw a piece of food at Casey to get his attention.

"Sorry, I only eat food, not shit," Casey eyed the officer.

"Oh, a wise guy eh?" The cop frowned, "apologies your highness that we've run out of caviar and Hors-d'oeuvres, but this is all we got, or you don't eat," he mocked Casey and dumped the plate through the slot until it landed on the floor next to him.

"Very funny officer, did you come up with that 'your highness' joke all on your own? You really earn that five doughnut per hour wage," Casey poked the officer's gut with his finger. His cell mates chuckled or gasped at the balls Casey showed by mocking the cop to his face. Said cop slammed his baton against he bars, attempting to intimidate the teenager. Casey, however, did not budge a millimeter, even with the sudden slam of the baton.

"You watch your ass Knight. By the way, our phone's busted and the repairman won't be here till tomorrow. Looks like ya won't be callin' mommy and daddy for awhile," he joked, turning around and grabbing another Krispy Kreme donut.

"Damn kid, you got some nerves of ice," Jim complimented.

"Eh, it comes naturally," Casey smirked as he grabbed the guitar and began to strum it a few times. The cell mates that were still conscious started to enjoy the sounds that Casey was creating with the guitar while they ate, even if he was just practicing his chords.

"Yo Case," one of the bigger criminals in the cell called. The mullet haired teen stopped playing and looked at the criminal wearing a bandana and sunglasses with some slop hanging off of his Duck Dynasty beard. "How about some music to go with dinner?" He requested. "Whatever you feel like playing, we're not too picky," he added. The pale green eyes of Casey Knight scanned across the jail, looking at his fellow cell brothers as they nodded in agreement.

"Just, pretty much nothing after the 80s, please," Jim asked. Clearing his throat, Casey began to think about the situation he was in and how it made him feel. Losing Fluttershy as a friend for God knows how long and then getting arrested for something he could do really took a toll on him, leaving but one song for him to play. Strumming the wooden instrument one more time, Casey placed his fingers in the correct positions and gave them one final crack before beginning.

The speed that the men in the jail ate at, officers and police captain included, slowed down to nearly a complete halt. The song that Casey chose to play was immediately recognized by all inside the tiny precinct, but the way he played it, so magically and beautifully like Steve Clark himself, captivated everyone. The memories of the past few hours continued to haunt the teen as a few salty tears made their way out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

Unbeknownst to the Brit however, a certain large group of girls burst through the station's doors, yet went unheard by the boy in the cell. Ignoring the rules of the sign in sheet marked at the front desk, Fluttershy, Vinyl, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom dodged past the maze of other desks, following the siren call of their friend and boyfriend's singing and guitar playing.

_Gypsy, sittin' lookin' pretty_  
_The broken rose with laughin' eyes_  
_You're a mystery, always runnin' wild_  
_Like a child without a home_  
_You're always searching, searching for a feeling_  
_That it's easy come and easy go_

The five girls came to a screeching stop in front of the cell doors where they could easily see Casey with his back turned to the door as he expertly played the song. The other girls quickly followed the instructions of the captain as he escorted them to where the other five were waiting.

"He's a strange case that one," the captain explained, "I've never seen my officers so captivated by guitar playing before," he added. True, most of the officers were intrigued by the skills the eighteen year old was showing off, but it was not like they were hypnotized or anything. Fluttershy reached her arms through the bars, just barely out of reach of her best friend, trying to alert him that she was there.

_Oh I'm sorry but it's true_  
_You're bringin' on the heartbreak_  
_Takin' all the best of me_  
_Oh can't you see?_  
_You got the best of me_  
_Whoah can't you see?_

None of the eleven girls or the one dog said anything as Casey continued to perform. It was all too obvious that he was hurting and was letting it out through the song. Even Rainbow admitted that there was something about the way he could play the guitar that was special. Casey was still so in tune with playing the song that he didn't quite hear the police captain trying to alert him of his visitors. "Ahem," the police captain coughed loudly. Casey stopped playing and turned around, only to drop the guitar to the stony floor in shock "You have, a few visitors son," the kind captain smiled from behind Fluttershy.

"F-Flutters?" Casey squeaked out.

"Casey, I came over as soon as Vinyl told me the news!" Fluttershy quickly informed her friend while he slowly walked over and stopped directly in front of her, the cell door still separating them. The tears started to flood Casey's eyes more and more, but he still somehow held them within. "I know you're innocent!"

"I-I thought you hated me now," Casey softly grasped the steel bars in his fingers.

"How could I hate you Casey?" Fluttershy asked, hurt that he would think that. "I mean, yes I was upset at what you said, but you'd have to do something extremely worse than that to get me to hate you," she replied. "And I know that will never happen!" she reached out and softly patted his shoulder.

"It's a nice surprise to see you girls here," Casey turned the rest of the Rainbooms.

"We came because we didn't think Fluttershy should go alone," Applejack crossed her arms and leaned against the nearest officer desk.

"Ah, that's fair I guess," Casey mustered up a weak smile. "And Vi, I missed you too babe," Casey waved to his girlfriend. The milky DJ removed her sunglasses, setting them atop her electric blue hair as she stood next to Fluttershy.

"Case, isn't there something you wanted to say to Fluttershy?" she cocked her head to the left, pointing it towards Fluttershy. Taking a brief second, Casey wiped his eyes clear and looked down at his feet.

"To be honest, I never thought I would tell you here," he began, "but this still means all the same to me," Casey explained. "Fluttershy, girls," he motioned for the girls to come closer. "I am so, so sorry for what I said and what I called all of you. I was angry and I let my anger get the best of me because," Casey paused as more tears flooded his eyes.

"Because why Casey?" Fluttershy squeezed his shoulder tighter.

"Because I was afraid okay!" Casey finally burst out into tears. "I was afraid with your new friends that you would grow bored with me," he admitted, causing Fluttershy to gasp and hold her free hand over mouth. "Fear took ahold of me and that lead to anger welling up inside me at the thought of your new friends stealing my place and shoving me out of your life. That's why I began hating your friends and making sarcastic remarks to them and putting them down. Because of my fear of you growing bored with me, I hated them with a burning passion, even though everything seemed okay when I first met them, but that was until you started hanging out with them more than me," he finished his explanation.

"Woah, Yoda was right!" Scootaloo exclaimed to herself.

"And all of this suffering between us is my fault, I get that," Casey said, "but Fluttershy, it was nothing personal about your friends. They're good kids, yet because we grew up together, the thought of you not needing me anymore and growing bored with me terrified the living daylights out of me, and I'm sorry!" Casey wailed, leaning his forehead against the cool bars. "Our friendship was one of the most special things in my life, and the more I tried to preserve it, the more I kept breaking it apart until I blew up at everyone back stage."

"Oh Casey! I forgive you!" Fluttershy cried as well throwing her arms fully through the bars and around her friends. Casey did the same thing in return, wrapping his arms around Fluttershy as the two hugged each other through the cell door. "Y-you should've talked to me about this," tears flowed like a river down Fluttershy's buttery face. "You know that no one could ever replace you Casey. You'll always be my brother, nothing will change that!" She swore.

"I know," Casey choked, "I was a fool to think I could fix the problem by shoving my feelings aside Flutters." The others, the officers, the captain and the cell mates all 'awed' at the adorable scene, not saying a word so they wouldn't spoil anything. "I promise you that from now on, I'll talk about my feelings with anyone willing to listen instead of bottling them up," Casey promised not only Fluttershy, but his band mates and the Rainbooms as well.

"As touching as this reunion and apology acceptance is," the police captain had to break them apart, "there's still the matter of what you're in for Mr. Knight," he said in an apologetic tone.

"Sir, he's innocent, I swear!" Sweetie Belle piped up.

"Look, I want to know where they fuck you guys got that recording," Casey demanded. The captain pulled the recorder from the evidence bag and looked to find any paperwork with it.

"From what I can tell, three girls dropped it off, but they didn't leave their names or anything, JOHNSON!" The Captain angrily called out. "Why is this form not filled out properly? Did you seriously just take their word for it?!" He asked the portly officer scarfing down doughnuts at his desk.

"Well yeah," he said meekly.

"Get your fat ass outta here, you're fired," the captain ordered. He then produced the keys to the cell and allowed Casey to exit, only to have the Brit burst from the cell, grab Fluttershy and hug her as hard as he could, lifting her into the air. The rest of Animal Instinct joined in on the hug as they were reunited with their leader. The other members of the Rainbooms looked awkwardly on at the scene before Casey himself motioned them to join in on the hug. One by one, each member dog-pile hugged around Casey, Pinkie especially as she leaped into the middle and wriggled in between Casey and Vinyl while Spike rubbed up against Rarity's leg. Reluctantly, Rainbow just patted her hand on Applejack's back, wanting no part in this.

"It's good to clear the air between us I have to admit," Rarity cleared her throat.

"So, what happens to Casey?" Vinyl asked the police captain.

"Well, it gets really complicated," he replied, "while the report wasn't properly filled out, the recording might be enough evidence to convict him of rape," he explained.

"WHAT? WE SHARE A CELL WITH THAT PIECE OF SHIT?!" Jim shouted, leaping towards Casey, but the bars kept them separated.

"Actually, we were wonderin' who Casey was accused 'o, you know," Applejack rubbed the back of her head.

"I've listened to the recordings a few times, and the girl on the tape is named Sweetie Belle I believe," the captain sat down at his desk in his office, inviting all of the kids in. Rarity's eyes flashed with anger as she wanted to murder Casey, but Scootaloo, Vinyl and Fluttershy kept her away.

"ME? Casey never touched me sir. I don't know what that tape says, but I can assure you this boy has never laid an inappropriate hand on any of us," she leaned towards the captain while placing her hands atop his desk.

"Yeah, is there anything you can do to clear his name?" Scootaloo questioned, still trying to keep Rarity at bay. Captain Donaldson scratched his greying hair, trying to think of a way to clear Casey's name as he thought the boy was innocent as well.

"Um, the only way I can think of is our precinct medical officer. She can perform the necessary, ahem, procedure to check for anything related to the accused crime," he explained. "Although I have to warn you it is _very_ invasive, but it is performed by a female if that makes you more comfortable.

"My sister is not some sort of biology experiment that gets poked and prodded about!" Rarity exclaimed. Captain Donaldson sighed, placing both hands on his desk and looking at Rarity.

"It's either that, or your friend goes back to jail until the trial which won't be for a few months," he said solemnly. "But, if you allow our medical officer to examine her, Casey here can be cleared by 8:00 tonight," he offered, looking up at the clock that read 7:15.

"Rarity, let me do it, I know Casey is innocent!" Sweetie Belle begged. "I'm willing to have a doctor do this to prove my friend's innocence. I know you would do it if you wanted to defend one of your friends from the same thing," she pointed out. Giving it a moment of thought, the fashionista closed her eyes and slowly nodded. Captain Donaldson paged for the nurse whom came in quicker than everyone expected and took Sweetie Belle to her medical room for the exam.

**(During the procedure)**

"Okay Fluttershy," Casey said as everyone awaited the results of Sweetie Belle's exam inside the captain's office. "And this goes for everyone else, something is up with those three girls, the Dazzlings," he began. "There's a reason why you didn't want us, or more specifically your sisters, to go up against them in the battle of the bands. Is there a reason why? And don't bullshit around please," he requested.

The girls exchanged worried glances, unsure if they should finally reveal everything they knew about the sirens to their friend. "Um, Casey, are you sure you want to know?" Fluttershy asked, "because we know it's really far-fetched about those girls," she said.

"And you might think we're a little crazy," Vinyl added, snuggling up to her boyfriend.

"Hey, we're supposed to be closer than ever before; that means no more secrets and no more lies. I've noticed that every time they perform, everyone gets more and more pissed at each other, and whenever we'd talk about the Dazzlings, you girls would change the subject," Casey countered. The girls all again exchanged glances, still unsure if they should tell him until someone else volunteered.

"Well, first thing I can tell you is Twilight and I aren't even from this dimension," Spike hopped onto Casey's lap and spoke to him.

"HOLY SHIT!" Casey jumped, bracing himself against the wall. "When the fuck did Scooby Doo become a real thing!?" He asked. "Don't come any closer mate," Casey threatened the dog.

"Ha! Best reaction ever!" Pinkie Pie laughed, "and thankfully not as creepy as Fluttershy's when she found out about all this," she giggled, causing the buttery yellow girl to blush.

"Look, I'm gonna avoid all of the awkwardness of telling these five girls about me begin a dragon in Equestria and Twilight being an alicorn, so I'll just let Twilight explain to you," the purple dog walked back to Rarity and hopped onto her lap.

"Alicorns, talking dogs, Fluttershy, please tell me this is all a fucking dream! I feel like my head's gonna explode from all of this crazy shit," he begged.

"Um, no, this is all real Casey," Twilight chuckled nervously. "You see, Spike and I are from another dimension where humans don't exist. Instead, ponies are the dominant species and they range from earth ponies, unicorns, pegasus ponies and alicorns. I myself am the Alicorn Princess of Friendship of Ponyville," she explained. "Spike actually is a baby dragon in our dimension," she added.

"Aw, way to blow the awesome reveal of me being a ferocious dragon Twi," Spike rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Twilight ignored her canine companion, "thousands of years ago, Starswirl the Bearded, one of the most powerful and magical unicorns in Equestrian history, banished three sirens to this world in exile for what they did in our world."

"Okay, I get it, these three sirens just so happen the Dazzlings, right?" Casey asked nervously, still getting over the realization.

"Correct," Twilight smiled, "and they've taken advantage of the musical showcase by brainwashing our principals into turning the showcase into a Battle of the Bands, turning all the students against each other to gain their magic powers back. That's what those red necklaces are for," Twilight delineated.

"'N you're also right 'bout how when they sing, the students all turn on each other," Applejack said, twirling her hat on her finger.

"Hang on, you kept this from us too!?" Scootaloo asked her sister.

"Come now Scootaloo," Rarity turned her head away from the door as she sat down in front of it, "we were just thinking about your safety. That's why we didn't want you girls to sign up for the Battle of the Bands, so you wouldn't get hurt," she explained.

"Wait a second," Sunset waved her hands, "how in Equestria did all five of you not fall under the siren spell?" She asked.

"My headphones were always on whenever they performed," Vinyl replied.

"'N we did the same thing too," Applebloom concurred.

"Actually, I never did, I always listened to their songs to see what our bands were up against," Casey said worriedly. "I wasn't protected by headphones, so how the hell did I escape the siren songs?"

"Dude, maybe it's because you've listened to so much Rock 'N Roll in your life, you're immune!" Scootaloo suggested.

"That's crazy," Rainbow exclaimed, "how could just listening to Rock 'N Roll be a form of protection against that kind of magic?" She asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Twilight and Sunset responded at the same time. "But I do remember that after you guys performed your second round song that the Dazzlings immediately dashed out of the gym. Maybe their weakness is Rock 'N Roll?" Sunset offered.

"Ya know, come to think of it Sunset," Casey rubbed his eyes, "the Dazzlings did try to get me to quit right before the Eliminator Round," he revealed, "they just tired to scare me into quitting, but I had none of that. Yet, I never figured out why they wanted me to quit; I just thought they were afraid of getting their butts kicked by us," he said.

"Girls! And Casey!" Twilight cheered, "I think I have a plan," she beamed. "Since both of our bands are in the finals, what if we have Animal Instinct go first to weaken the Dazzlings and then we perform-" she stopped when she realized the counter spell was still incomplete.

"Woah, woah, woah," Casey cut in. "I'm sorry girls, but how can we help if this is something up your alley Twilight?" He asked. "I mean, if this is strange magic or some shit from your dimension, you should know how to take it down, right?"

"I-I should know what to do, but the counter spell I've been working on just hasn't come out right!" Twilight hid behind her hands.

"Maybe if Casey's song weakens them, it shouldn't matter what we play as long as we play it together right?" Rainbow asked. "I mean, my band's good enough to take down an evil magical band," she bragged.

"OUR BAND!" Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy shouted.

"Oh no, don't start that cliche shit again," Casey seethed. "Rainbow, if anything, YOUR songs have been the wedge that's caused the rift between you six, especially with that selfish performance in the semi-finals," he pointed out.

"FINALLY!" Applejack cheered, "someone had the balls ta say it," she said happily.

"Look, no one else can write songs like me, that's not my problem," Rainbow crossed her arms.

"I WRITE SONGS!" Fluttershy stood up, "you just never let us play them."

"I've seen her songs Rainbow; they're ten times the songs you could come up with," Casey glared. "And this isn't fear you're still seeing, I just really don't like you Rainbow, never have," he admitted. "I know what I said earlier about all of you being good people, which you are to some extent Dash, but you are just so fucking selfish, egotistical and condescending to nearly everyone; it's absolutely sickening."

"Do you think I care what you think Knight?" Rainbow flicked him the bird.

"We have to figure out something," Sunset cut in, "the finals start at 8:00 and it's already 7:45," she pointed at the clock. The entire gang paused as they stared at the clock above the captain's desk. _Tick, tock, tick, tock,_ the clock's red second hand softly made its way around the circular time telling device. Everyone was currently trying to think up of a plan that could not only help defeat the Dazzlings, but also help bring them closer together to accomplish the feat.

"The girls and I can try our best to weaken them, but we don't know jack shit about magical counter spells," Casey sighed, "that's where our usefulness ends," he said sadly.

"What if you try one of Fluttershy's songs?" Sweetie Belle asked as the door opened. "I know eavesdropping is wrong, but everyone out there could hear the shouting," she smiled.

"Sweetie Belle!" The Crusaders, Vinyl, Casey and Rarity hugged her.

"Are you okay?" Rarity got down to her level.

"Yeah, a little awkward though," Sweetie replied, "but it feels like I got a normal physical, so I'm not bothered," she laughed. "And by the way Casey, Captain Donaldson said you're a free man and this won't go down on a record," she informed the Brit."Anyways, what if you try one of Fluttershy's songs? She's one of the friendliest girls I know and that's mainly what she writes songs about," Sweetie suggested. The room fell silent as everyone took into consideration Sweetie Belle's idea. Twilight and Sunset looked at each other while Casey flung an arm around Fluttershy.

"We don't have much time; it's worth a shot," Scootaloo agreed with the plan.

"Any objections?" Casey asked. When no one objected, he cracked his knuckles. "Alright, we have our game plan, next step is execution," he opened the office door. "Girls, I think it's time we test out our signature song," Casey suggested.

"And we're ready bro," Scootaloo fist bumped him. "You can't keep an animal's spirit down forever!" She shouted.

"Rarity, do ya think ya have some outfits that scream '_Saving the World_?" Applejack questioned.

"Oh!" Rarity gushed, "I have the _perfect_-" she started.

"Come on, not this tired cliche where everyone finally agrees to everyone's demands!" Casey whined. "We all have some siren ass to kick, so let's go and fucking do it!" He ordered. Without second guessing, everyone picked up the pace and walked ahead of Casey, all but one. "Rainbow," Casey called.

"What is it Knight?" the rival guitarist asked.

"Look, I know we don't like each other, but we can't let our hatred ruin this, especially for Fluttershy. Now I'm not saying we have to be friends, but let's just pretend we don't exist to each other so we can't get too distracted?" Casey thought up. Rainbow tapped her chin, considering the idea as the duo walked behind the large group.

"Fine, but only for Fluttershy, she's my friend too ya know," Rainbow agreed.

"Good enough for me," Casey picked up the pace, "now let's go save the world, with Rock 'N Roll!"

**End Chapter 11**

* * *

_One Chapter left: The Championship Round. Will Animal instinct and the Rainbooms' joint operation succeed, or will they strike a discord? Find out in the final chapter of Get Your Rock On_

_I do not own Bringin' on the Heartbreak by Def Leppard._


	12. Chapter 12: Farewell Tour

**Rainbow Rocks: Get Your Rock On**

**Chapter 12: Farewell Tour**

_Okay, before we journey towards the grand finale of Get Your Rock On, I would just like to apologize for taking nearly two months to finally conclude this story. I never meant for it to take this long, but with the chapters of Fallen Eagle leading up to the inevitable confession between the main characters that all of those readers were desperate to see, I chose to write those chapters and get that arc of the story completed. And with those chapters being as long as they are, it took even longer than anticipated. But, with the confession arc of Fallen Eagle completed, I can now finish Get Your Rock On for you guys. And as a bonus, I've been mentally taking notes on how to make the finale as intriguing as it can be with as little predicability as possible. _

_The songs I have chosen for the finale were not easy to make, but I am crossing my fingers that you readers will love them and listen along as you read. __And without further ado, let's see if Animal Instinct and the Rainbooms can knock the Dazzlings off stage forever..._

_**This Chapter is dedicated to all of those Rock icons that have passed on to the other side. **_

* * *

**(CHS Amphitheater. 3rd Person POV)**

Both The Dazzlings and Trixie and the Illusions grinned evilly to themselves as Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna kept a watchful eye on a countdown clock on their judging desk. Only a few precious moments left before time was up and both The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct would miss the window for signups, thus eliminating them completely from the Championship Round. Trixie was especially getting antsy about time slipping away; her band would have one last shot to win should at least one band fail to show up on time, a dream that which she felt extremely confident.

"One minute," Vice Principal Luna announced, "if The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct are in the area, you both have one minute until time is up to sign in or you shall be automatically withdrawn from the competition," she clicked off her microphone and set it down next to her clipboard before taking a drink of water. "It'd be a shame sister; I was hoping to hear what Casey and his friends would have for us," the younger sister remarked.

"Indeed," Celestia took a drink of her own water, "however, rules are rules; we cannot play favorites," the elder sister agreed. Back behind the stage, Adagio slipped behind the cover of the curtain, an evil grin decorated her face.

"I don't know what Trixie did to those Rainbooms, but this is turning out better than expected," she applauded herself, "and with how corrupt this country's justice system is, Knight will no longer be a problem and neither will his outdated, pathetic crock band." The leader of the Dazzlings had to take a moment to breath through her nose as she could taste the victory champagne on her tongue. "Soon ladies, this school will be bowing down to us and then we can return to Equestria not only with our power fully restored, but leave this dump with mindless zombies," she bragged.

"Why can't we just take over now, Adagio?" Aria questioned, leaning her hip against the brick wall.

"Because Aria, not every student is here yet; we need every available ear paying close attention to us so they will be hypnotized by our siren's call," she explained in a 'duh' voice to her partner. The pig-tailed girl rolled her eyes at the sarcasm and folded her arms across her chest, wishing she was in charge so they could get this over with and take over Equestria.

"Girls, do you think we try to brainwash Casey at least one more time before we leave this place?" Sonata questioned her two superiors.

"Why would you want to do that, Sonata? He's useless to us and immune, remember?" Adagio wanted to perform the mother of all face-palms, but held her cool, for now. The light blue-skinned girl shuffled her feet, embarrassed about her explanation.

"I was hoping we could take him with us so he could be our personal servant? Maybe even mine to serve me grapes or draw my baths,_" _she explained. _'And maybe join me?'_ she thought. Just outside the school grounds, both The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct were running as fast as humanly possible to make it to signups before it was too late. Being the most athletic members of both groups, Rainbow, Applejack, Casey and Scootaloo led the group, hoping that at least one member of each band reached the judging table at the same time so both bands could sign in.

"We've gotta make, we've gotta make it!" Twilight repeated over and over again. The lavender girl was mentally beating herself up for not having the counter spell ready; she feared that Fluttershy's song wouldn't work or be powerful enough to stop the Dazzlings. Even if Animal Instinct was able to weaken the siren trio, no counter spell meant it would only be a matter of time before their powers would recharge.

"Don't worry, we'll get there on time!" Casey turned his head back. "Besides, it's more important for you girls to get there first!" He added as the groups rounded a corner where the amphitheater was growing closer.

"I've already drawn up plans for a celebration cake!" Pinkie Pie pulled out the blueprints for a ten foot tall cake with both band logos on the front. She even added sparklers to the top of the cake instead of candles.

_"Thirty seconds. The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct have thirty seconds before the sign in station closes," _Rainbow Dash tried to run even faster after hearing Vice Principal Luna's announcement. She didn't want The Dazzlings to gain their power back and take over Equestria from Princess Twilight and her friends. Not only that, but she was Rainbow Dash; Rainbow Dash doesn't lose, especially without a fight.

"You four head for the judging table; the rest of us will get our instruments ready!" Sweetie Belle attempted to catch up to Scootaloo and Casey, but she wasn't much of a runner. Everyone quickly exchanged a nod, getting the message and pushing themselves even harder as the clock was ticking and the entrance to the amphitheater seemed to be moving far away the closer they got. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo jumped over a parked car that was sitting in front of the gated entrance while Casey and Applejack ran around the front and back ends.

The front four barreled towards Luna and Celestia as the others sprinted back stage to get their instruments at the ready. "NO!" Trixie exclaimed angrily when she saw both bands rushing towards the stage. "This can't be happening!" she wanted to strangle at least one member of the Rainbooms for how they were given a free ticket by the principals from the Eliminator Round.

"WE MADE IT!" Applebloom cheered and hugged Sweetie Belle. Vinyl sat down for a quick breather next to Fluttershy whom had to lay down on the stage floor next to the DJ. Trixie was seeing red at the moment, wishing there was some loophole that she could abuse to make sure both bands would be disqualified for whatever reason. But little did both Trixie, The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct know, she got half of her wish granted. Down at the judging table, Scootaloo arrived at the same time with Rainbow Dash and quickly scribbled _Animal Instinct _below the Dazzlings' band name before tossing the pen to her older sister.

"YES! Just in-" Rainbow began to write the 'R' in Rainbooms before a buzzer sounded off, causing the guitarist to freeze for a moment. Vice Principal Luna then took the signup sheet away from Rainbow Dash, making her stay silent.

"Apologies girls, but you didn't make it in time," Luna sounded disappointed, but held her ground. "Animal Instinct, however, you did make it on time and will be going on before The Dazzlings," she turned to Scootaloo and Casey.

"You gotta be kiddin'!" Applejack exclaimed in frustration, disbelief and heartache.

"Afraid not, Applejack," Principal Celestia replied in a sad tone. "Rules are the rules; we gave you girls the benefit of the doubt during the penultimate round, but we can't just break the rules for you, I'm sorry," she apologized. Rainbow Dash squeezed the pen so hard that it burst, spraying blue ink everywhere. The teenager wanted to flip over the table and scream every curse word she knew into the sky to vent her anger, but she settled for shouting instead.

"I STARTED TO WRITE OUR BAND NAME DOWN! THAT SHOULD COUNT FOR SOMETHING!" She screamed right to both principals. Luna and Celestia raised their eyebrows in response, surprised that their student would raise her voice like that. Applejack, Casey and Scootaloo on the other hand jumped nearly three feet in the air at the outburst before Applejack tried to calm her bandmate down before she said something stupid.

"Again, we are sorry girls," Luna's tone of voice shifted to a more stern one, "but you had to be signed in completely by the deadline and The 'R' doesn't count as your band name," she explained.

"Something's not right," Sunset poked her head behind the curtain at remaining members of The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct. The fiery-haired girl pursed her lips and squeezed the fabric of the curtain before continuing, "Rainbow Dash is having a shouting match with the principals," she explained.

"What?!" Twilight jumped up from her spot, making Spike tumble down to the stage floor, "oops, sorry Spike," she apologized. "But what's going on, Sunset?" she asked her former enemy.

"I don't think we were signed in on time," Sunset replied shakily, looking back out at the judges table. Immediately, Pinkie Pie dropped her drumsticks, Fluttershy's tambourine began to shake violently in her hands, Vinyl's headphones slipped off her ears and Twilight's heart stopped. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle set aside their instruments and poked their heads around the curtain as well, trying to discern what was happening.

"No, this can't be happening, we were so close!" Twilight grabbed the sides of her head, "if only I got the spell done sooner!" She berated herself.

"Did both bands get disqualified?" Applebloom nervously asked as the rest of The Rainbooms and Spike appeared behind Sunset Shimmer to spy on their friends. The students and puppy watched on as Rainbow Dash looked as if she were about crack someone's skull wide open. Applejack was trying to hold her back and Casey and Scootaloo could only look on as Rainbow Dash tried to change the principals' minds.

"I don't think so," Sweetie Belle gulped, "only Rainbow and Applejack look upset at the principals," she pointed out.

"Should we do something?" Pinkie Pie questioned.

"Like what, Pinkie?" Vinyl asked, "Luna and Celestia are under the spell of the Sirens; we can't break it without Twilight's counter spell and Twilight said you all need to be playing for it to work."

"Well, I'm going down there," Rarity announced, "perhaps it's just a misunderstanding that we can negotiate around," she suggested, pushing past everyone else in the direction of the table.

"There's no way they'll let us slide into this spot, Rarity," Sunset jogged to catch up with the keytarist, "we got _lucky_ to get to the finale round and there'll be a huge riot if they give us another lucky break," she debated.

"We've gotta try something," Fluttershy spoke up, "I mean we can't just sit here and do nothing; Casey's band can only do so much to stop the Dazzlings," she reminded, scooping Spike up from the ground. Everyone froze when they approached the principals, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Scootaloo and Casey as Celestia spoke in a very angry voice, one that reminded Twilight of the Canterlot wedding fiasco.

"Rainbow Dash, if you continue this immature tirade any longer, you will find yourself off every team in the school and in detention until graduation, do you understand me?" Celestia stood up and over the athlete.

"Ma'am," Casey stood in between the two females to find a compromise, "Rainbow and The Rainbooms deserve to be in this finale, are you really going to kick them out for showing up one second late? I say since she wrote down the partial name of the band, it should count," he explained.

"Do not question me, Mr. Knight," the principal pointed a pencil at him, "my decision is final: The Rainbooms shall not be allowed to perform in the Championship Round, do I make myself clear?" Neither member of each band could say a thing as Principal Celestia shifted her eyes around sternly, making sure every one of her students understood she meant business.

"Come on Rainbow, let's just try and figure somethin' out," Applejack pulled her friend away from Luna and Celestia.

"A-are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Fluttershy asked. Both faculty members shook their heads, showing signs of their patience wearing thin.

"Take our spot," Casey mumbled.

"What did you say, Case?" Vinyl questioned her boyfriend.

"Vice Principal Luna," the Brit began, "I request that my friends, The Rainbooms, take Animal Instinct's spot in the finale; it's more important that they play than us," he folded his arms. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom's faces exploded in shock while everyone else almost fainted at the idea of Casey refusing to play.

"C-Casey, are you feeling okay?" Fluttershy asked, softly squeezing her best friend's shoulder.

"I've never felt more positive in my life, Flutters," the Brit softly turned to the meek girl with a reassuring smile. The two sisters grouped together and had a short meeting about the request. Meanwhile, The Dazzlings, more specifically Aria and Adagio, were both frustrated and worried that had the possibility of falling apart, even if just Animal Instinct performed.

"Even without those Rainblossoms," Aria flicked a pigtail, "that shirtless faggot can still weaken our powers, and I'm not going through another few months and years of your whining Adagio," the glared at her leader.

"Shut up Aria," Adagio held back slapping Aria in the head. "Sonata, you do remember how to help conjure up a protection barrier, right?" the Cheetos-haired girl questioned. Sonata, who had been sitting on an amplifier watching the commotion between the principals and the bands, looked up and nodded with a grin.

"Of course Adagio! When do we start?" She questioned.

"Are you sure that's gonna be enough?" Aria sneered, "who knows what that band has been saving for this round?"

"I don't see your lazy ass coming up with any ideas to keep this plan from falling apart!" Adagio growled, scaring Sonata. Aria stepped closer, eyebrows furrowing and nostrils flaring at the orange siren.

"Maybe if you weren't so narcissistic some of my ideas could be used!" Aria yelled. The two sirens were now nose to nose, neither backing down from their stances to allow the other to win.

"Please stop fighting," Sonata pleaded.

"Just shut up and do what I say, Aria," Adagio pushed the light purple siren away in a huff. Grumbling angrily, Aria and Sonata joined hands with Adagio and began chanting to bring forth a spell that would protect them from Animal Instinct's Rock 'N Roll.

"Mmm, Trixie would've preferred _both_ bands losing their chances, but one will suffice," Trixie grinned and popped some peanut butter crackers into her mouth. "Now that we have a chance ladies," she spun around to her goons, "we can take our rightful place as the greatest band in the school. Have you got the fireworks ready?" she questioned. One of her bandmates nodded and gestured to a crate full of the colorful explosives. "Excellent, Trixie _shall_ be the most talented guitarist in Canterlot City once the night is finished!"

"I'm sorry Casey, but we have to deny your request," Luna took a sip of her water. "The student body was already upset that we chose the Rainbooms as a third band for the finale; cutting them a major amount of slack such as this would only infuriate them further," she explained before grabbing her microphone.

"B-But, you don't understand Ms. Luna," Casey attempted to plea his case, but Celestia shot him a, '_You'd better shut your mouth,'_ face.

"_The Championship Round will begin in ten minutes!"_ Luna then announced into her microphone. A sea of cheers echoed throughout the amphitheater at the announcement, but it didn't brighten up the spirits of anyone near the judging table. "_And unfortunately, The Rainbooms failed to check in on time which means that are __disqualified," _she added. Another, much LOUDER, chorus of cheers rang from the students, angering not only Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but Casey as well.

_"Due to this unfortunate circumstance," _Celestia took the mic away,_ "this means that Trixie and the Illusions will take The Rainbooms' spot for the finale for being here on time,"_ she added. _"The order of the bands will be: Animal Instinct, Trixie and the Illusions, and capping off the night: The Dazzlings!" _She concluded before switching off the microphone. Now it was Casey's turn to get bitten in the butt by the rage bug.

"TRIXIE!?" He screamed, slamming his fists so hard onto the table that the glasses of water that Luna and Celestia were drinking from to topple over. "What in the hell is okay about Trixie playing, but not The Rainbooms?!" He demanded.

"Watch how you speak to us, Casey," Luna pointed her finger in his face after wiping up the spilt water, "you've always been a respectful student; this behavior is insulting and unwarranted," she scolded the Brit.

"Unwarranted my ass," he replied hastily, "tell me why you're allowing Trixie to perform and not my friends!" Casey ordered, his anger rising towards the two principals. Fluttershy and Vinyl quickly yet softly grabbed ahold of his torso and made him step away from the sisters. Now both Luna and Celestia's eyebrows were furrowed as they couldn't believe a student was talking to them like this.

"You don't get to order us around young man," Celestia scooted back in her chair and stood up.

"Trixie is granted a spot to perform because her band was here on time and per the rules: If one band cannot perform in the next round, the next highest finishing band of the previous round will take their spot," Luna recited the official rules for the Battle of the Bands.

"Absolute bullshit!" The guitarist slammed his hands on the table once more. Vinyl tried to calm down her boyfriend by softly massaging the back of his neck, but his brain wouldn't allow it to happen. "I'd rather face The Dazzlings alone than have to share the stage with that talentless cunt WHO CAN'T EVEN WRITE A NEW FUCKING SONG!" He screamed in the faces of the school staff.

**_SLAP_**

Celestia, about as quickly as a spark, reared her hand back and slapped the Brit hard across his cheek, cocking his body so hard sideways that he was staring straight into Vinyl's face next to him. Casey's body shook as his cheek tingled and numbed while Luna, Fluttershy and Vinyl were flabbergasted to the core at Celestia's action. "Don't you dare speak to us like that again," the woman jabbed her finger in Casey's face. "Or else your ass will be out of this school before the contest even begins," she threatened and then pointed her finger from Casey's face to her ear. Casey took in a deep breath before responding.

"Yes ma'am, loud and crystal clear," he growled before whipping around and walking away back to the The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct. Vinyl and Fluttershy anxiously grinned and waved to the two principals before copying Casey's movements to get away from the fuming women. The elder sister cleared her throat, adjusted her hair and sat back down in a huff.

"Casey, you're so damned lucky you didn't just get canned from school!" Vinyl hissed, slapping him on his bicep.

_"Eight minutes!" _Luna announced. Everyone looked around to see what to do after Casey walked past his friends and angrily sat down on the stage steps, but not before taking a look at Trixie who was watching his every move. Casey flipped her a quick middle finger, glaring at her and nearly chipped a tooth from clenching his jaws so tight when Trixie gave him a smart aleck wave.

"Are you listening to me?" Vinyl asked softly and joined her boyfriend on the steps.

"Of course Vinyl," Casey pecked her cheek as his anger drained a little bit. "Do you girls think the Sirens' spell made them do that?" he questioned. Everyone turned to look at Sunset and Twilight, awaiting an answer, though most of them had an idea of their explanation.

"I honestly think that was legitimate anger, Casey," Twilight replied, "and I can understand, given the way you spoke to your teachers," she took a second to scold the Brit. Casey rolled his eyes, ignoring the lavender girl.

"So, what do we do now?" Applejack questioned everybody and scratched under her hat.

"I'm not too certain, Applejack," Rarity rubbed her arm, "we're in quite the pickle I'll admit. And I'm pretty sure new outfits for the principals won't butter them up for us," she added."

"Blech! That makes it even worse!" Pinkie Pie gagged, "I don't even like pickles," the party girl shuddered. "Couldn't you have said, _'Stuck between a rock and a hard place,'_ instead?" Pinkie requested.

"Does it really matter?" Rainbow Dash face-palmed. "We've got some siren butt to whoop and all you can think about are stupid metaphors?" the athlete exclaimed.

"Just trying to lighten the mood!" Pinkie threw up her hands in defense.

"If only _we_ could perform your song, Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle remarked to the shy teenager. "Too bad _we're_ not magic like you guys," she added with a said sigh and propped her head in her hands.

"Maybe we could just give up our spot 'n let you guys go?" Applebloom suggested, "ya know, forget what Luna 'n Celestia said, just take our spot?" she expounded. Casey shook his head and cracked his knuckles.

"Nah, they'll just shut The Rainbooms down before they start the lyrics," he muttered under his breath.

"Ooh!" Scootaloo burst, "why don't you guys just join us on stage halfway through our song; then we stop playing and you play Fluttershy's song?" She thought. Most everyone brightened up to the idea, but Casey, Twilight, Sunset, Vinyl and Fluttershy shook their heads.

"No, we wouldn't get enough of it in," Fluttershy said sadly, "at least, I don't think so."

"Hang on, that gives me an idea," Sunset wagged her index finger. However, the poor girl was afraid to speak for fear of it still not being her place since everyone still looked to Twilight for an answer.

"Go on, Sunset dear," Rarity smiled.

"I'm open to more suggestions, let's hear it," Casey stood up from the steps. Sunset sucked in a deep breath and moved some of her fiery hair aside.

"Okay, we all know that Luna and Celestia will just kick you six off stage no matter what you do, or they'll just cut the power so you can't play and _then_ kick you off," she began, "but what if after Animal Instinct is done, Vinyl helps you girls splice into the sound system in the down time between Animal Instinct and Trixie. Then right as Trixie is about to begin, Vinyl switches to _your_ instruments while you're back stage and you play Fluttershy's song?" She revealed her plan.

_"Four minutes! Four minutes for The Championship Finale to begin!"_ Luna announced. A hushed silence fell upon the eleven teenagers and puppy that stood around Sunset Shimmer. She grew nervous as the only thing everyone else did was stand and blink as they analyzed the plan. Rainbow Dash and Casey both simultaneously looked from the stage back to Sunset, deciding upon which action to take.

"I-I'm sorry," Sunset apologized, "that was stupid," she griped to herself and went to sit off to the side yet again.

"I like it!" Scootaloo shouted.

"As long as Vinyl can set it up to where only she can shut off the amplifiers and sound system so no one can stop you guys halfway through, I'm game," Sweetie Belle agreed with a grin.

"Shouldn't be too hard for me, but that means I won't be able to play with you Case; I've gotta use that time to help get everything ready," Vinyl turned to her boyfriend. Casey bit his lower lip and curled his arm around her neck, pulling her closer.

"That'll suck, but I think that'll be worth it to save Equestria," he kissed her hair.

"Wait, you guys are happy with my plan?" Sunset asked, astonished and feeling slightly happy.

"Heck yeah!" Applejack and Applebloom proclaimed at the same time.

"It's better than anything anybody else has come up with, I say we try it," Rainbow Dash raised her fist confidently. All eyes turned to Twilight, awaiting her answer. The lavender teenager took a look at her journal in her hands, squeezing the collection of papers tightly. She shut her eyes before looking back up at her friends and opened her mouth to speak.

"We're running low on options; we're already using one of Fluttershy's songs, I think utilizing Sunset's plan should work," she smiled nervously, still unsure if any of this _would_ work and tossed her journal to the side. However, anything her friends came up with, she was willing to try.

"Ahem, if Casey's sure his band can weaken the Dazzlings?" Rarity asked. Casey picked up his guitar from Vinyl's trunk and strummed it once with a cocky grin.

"Rarity, it would be my genuine fucking pleasure," he chuckled. The seamstress winced, still getting used to the salty language Casey spat out. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle retrieved their guitar and bass from Vinyl's trunk, slinging them over their shoulders as Scootaloo flung her drumsticks out from her pocket and caught them like chopsticks in her right hand.

_"Two minutes!" _Luna announced once again.

"This'll be weird playing without you Vinyl," Casey shared another kiss with his girlfriend. Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded as the five were about to separate off stage.

"Damned Sirens, ruining our music," the DJ joked and shoved Casey aside. "I've got some wiring to jerry-rig; you've got audience to save, so get out there," she winked from behind her shades and began prepping the correct wires for her job. Casey was about to head onto stage with his bandmates, but a yank to his wrist forced him to stop in his tracks. He soon found a pair of yellow arms embracing him, a set of pink hair nuzzling against his chest and a pair of light green eyes staring at him.

"Kick those Dazzlings' butts Casey," Fluttershy smiled, "you're the best musician in school," she squeezed him tighter. The Brit couldn't help but return the hug and nuzzle the top of his best friend's head.

"Whatever you say Flutters," he lightly petted her hair and released his hug. The two parted and returned to their proper groups, formulating their roles in the plan to defeat the Dazzlings once and for all. "Okay girls," Casey said once he, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle all had their instruments plugged into the amps and tuned. Having nothing to tune, Scootaloo was patiently awaiting for the song to start behind her drums. "You ready for the school to hear our signature song?" He asked.

"Depends," Scootaloo replied, "is Trixie addicted to peanut butter crackers?" She smirked.

"I wonder how much you'll lower your IQ to tonight, Animal Idiots," Trixie cackled from side stage. "it'd be a shame for all of your 'hard work' to be forgotten while digging ditches and cleaning toilets for the rest of your life," she pointed to Casey. "Or snorting drugs up your nose while a 53 year old man pays you $5 to do anything he wants," she flicked her hair and looked at Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"FUCK YOU!" Scootaloo flipped her the bird. Luckily, the microphones were off, so no one but the students on stage heard that outcry. Normally, Casey would've gone ballistic for someone saying that to his friends, but he had something else in mind.

"You think you can show them how it's done Trixie?" Casey smirked. Trixie's face collapsed at the rebuttal; she couldn't say anything in response. "I mean, who knows how many men in town have seen you flash your shit, giving it away for $4!?" He asked.

"Why you-" The magician began.

"Oh, my apologies, you don't _have_ anything to give out; you'd have to pay _them!_" he teased.

"GRRRR!" Trixie stomped her feet, "you're a disgusting pervert Casey Knight; Trixie'll see to it that you'll never have a career in the music industry!" She turned and stomped away. The rest of Animal Instinct stood in shock at Casey's finest display of insults they'd ever seen.

"You've gotta teach me how to turn the tables like that Casey," Sweetie Belle shook her head, impressed.

"Not until you're graduated Sweetie Belle, not until you're graduated," Casey flipped his and all the microphones on.

_"Animal Instinct, you may begin when ready,"_ Celestia was the one who announced this time. The lights above the amphitheater stage lit up, casting brilliant, white, yellow and orange effects onto the now four members of the band. "Where is Vinyl Scratch?" Celestia asked her little sister.

"I have no clue sister," Luna tapped her chin with the end of her pen, "however, I do not think that should effect their final score," the vice principal scribbled something down on her clipboard. Back on stage, a white screen appeared behind the band as the yellow, orange and white list flashed off and a strobe light took their places, flashing rapidly upon Animal Instinct. The screen lit up with their logo of a pair of cheetah eyes with three claw marks between the eyes and the band name above and below in bright red letters.

"CANTERLOT HIGH SCHOOL!" Casey shouted into his microphone, "WELCOME TO THE ANIMAL'S DEN!" He announced as the lighting returned to normal. "I've just gotta warn you, we're all feeling a little, lusty tonight," he said in a sultry voice. Scootaloo tapped her cymbals three times when suddenly, a cacophonous blare from every instrument at once erupted from the amps, making everyone in the audience and backstage jump a little.

_[Casey]  
A wild ride, over stony ground_  
_Such a lust for life, the circus comes to town_  
_We are the hungry ones, on a lightning raid_  
_Just like a river runs, like a fire needs flame_  
_Oh, I burn for you_

The Rainbooms, Sunset and Vinyl couldn't help but watch and listen as they prepared all of the equipment to splice The Rainbooms' instruments to the amplifiers. Every band member performed flawlessly as Casey proceeded to excite the crowd by dancing around. "I hate to admit it, but Casey can write some insane lyrics," Rainbow Dash said as she tuned up her guitar.

"It's what he does best, Rainbow," Vinyl chuckled as she connected a few wires together.

"Though, I wish we could see those super cool light effects!" Pinkie Pie yearned.

"Lights don't matter here, Pinkie," Sunset replied, "all that matters is their music weakening the Dazzlings. Speaking of which Twilight, can you see if it's effecting them at all?" The lightly orange skinned girl questioned. Twilight Sparkle peered around the bank of amplifiers to see the Dazzlings chanting softly to themselves. The trio also looked very concerned as their faces strained while their octaves ran a little higher.

"I-I think it's working!" Twilight exclaimed happily.

_[Animal Instinct and Casey]  
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa, oh_  
_I need your touch don't need your love, whoa, oh_  
_And I want, and I need, and I lust, animal_  
_And I want, and I need, and I lust, animal  
_

"N-no! This is our most powerful protection spell!" Adagio screamed as the barrier around them (that only they could see) began to flicker and some streams of their power emptied from their necklaces.

"I told you this wouldn't be enough Adagio, this is why you SUCK as a leader!" Aria yelled.

_[Casey]  
I cry wolf, given mouth to mouth_  
_Like a movin' heartbeat, in the witching hour_  
_I'm runnin' with the wind, a shadow in the dust_  
_And like the drivin' rain, hey, like the restless rust_  
_I never sleep_

"Boring," Trixie yawned and twiddled with her fingers. Finally, the protection barrier around the Dazzlings collapsed completely, allowing more of their stolen power to escape. Adagio felt herself grow weaker with every beat and lyric from Animal Instinct's song, like they had attached a vacuum to their gems and began to suck it all out.

"At this rate, I think we won't have enough power by our turn!" Sonata exclaimed fearfully.

"Your turn Aria," Adagio gestured forward with her hands. "If you think I suck as a leader, then by all means come up with an idea to stop this before our one chance is gone! Aria blinked, having trouble believing the words coming from the puffy haired girl's mouth. She then looked around for an idea to keep their plan alive, but there wasn't much to work with back stage. "Well?" Adagio asked.

"Shut up; I'm thinking," Aria snapped. Her eyes then revealed the entirety of The Rainbooms huddled behind the amplifiers with dozens of extra wires being fiddled with by Vinyl. Her eyes grew as one idea popped into her head. She followed the one cord that plugged itself into Casey Knight's red and blue flamed guitar as he pranced around on stage, attacking the strings violently as he sang.

_[Animal Instinct and Casey]  
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa, oh_  
_I need your touch don't need your love, whoa, oh_

The siren slipped around like James Bond, trying to not draw attention to herself as she put her plan into motion. She eyed the black piece of electrical equipment and licked her lips at what she was about to do. She loathed Casey Knight about as much as she loathed Starswirl the Bearded for banishing her and her 'friends' to this awful place. "Ahhhh-ahhhh, ahhh-ahhhh," she chanted. A red hue glowed around the cord, allowing her to smile as she found out she had just enough magic in her reserves.

_And I want, and I need, and I lust, animal_  
_And I want, and I need, and I lust, ani-_

"Hehe, die, just like your precious Rock 'N Roll," Aria hissed. She had sent a _strong_ surge of electricity up Casey's guitar cord and back up into his guitar. The Brit ceased singing as he was stuck in place while thousands of volts of electricity coursed through his body.

"CASEY!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed once her friend stopped singing and playing the guitar. She could see blue volts shooting up into his guitar, making him shake violently. Applebloom and Scootaloo stopped playing as well, leaping from their spots to join Sweetie Belle to get his guitar away from him. Luna, Celestia and everyone in the audience gasped at the events unfolding before them. "GET IT OFF HIM!" The bass player ordered.

"Somethin's goin' on!" Applejack exclaimed, turning back to her friends. "UNPLUG THE AMP, UNPLUG THE AMP!" She shouted after realizing what was going on.

"What?!" Vinyl questioned, looking up from her job. "Why did they-, NO!" The DJ screamed in fear at seeing her boyfriend in the middle of an electrocution. The Crusaders were desperately trying to disconnect Casey's guitar from the source of the surge with their shoes, attempting to kick the plug in out of its slot. Vinyl jammed her finger onto the on/off switch, killing the power.

The Brit stopped shaking from the electricity, only to have his eyes roll into the back of his head and collapse on stage. "NOO!" Fluttershy dashed onto stage to her fallen friend. The others followed suit, ditching their plan to see if they could help Casey. Once it was safe to approached the teen, Fluttershy, Vinyl and Sweetie Belle all gathered around him; Fluttershy propped his head on her lap. "Casey? Casey, please say something," she begged. An unconscious groan was the only response the girls could receive.

"SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the principals. Luna whipped out her cell phone and quickly dialed 911 as Celestia too rushed over to assist with the downed student.

"Case, please be okay!" Vinyl caressed his grey cheek, removing her shades so she could have a better look at him.

"Come on, let's move him off stage," Celestia suggested, carefully grabbing his feet. Silence filled the air in the amphitheater as Celestia, Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Vinyl carried Casey off stage and set him down on the ground near the steps to get cooler air around him. Luna announced that an ambulance was on the way and decided to halt the competition until they had arrived. "Just give him a little space; we'll do everything we can," Celestia helped prop his head on Fluttershy's lap before running to get her cell phone to try and call Casey's parents.

"This, this is all my fault!" Twilight cried out, sliding her back down on a wall.

"Your fault? How in the world is this _your_ fault, Twilight?" Spike asked, hopping into her lap. The poor girl fought back many tears while the guilt washed over her like a tsunami. The puppy nuzzled up under her chin, trying to cheer her up. She opened her eyes to see Casey's pained, unconscious face as his head lay motionless on Fluttershy.

"If I had figured out how to write the counter spell days ago, this wouldn't have happened! Now Casey might-" she couldn't complete her sentence and began to cry. Rarity and Pinkie Pie knelt down and helped Twilight up to her feet, hugging her tightly.

"I don't blame you, Twilight," Vinyl turned from Casey, "not at all. It was just a freak accident," she added with a weak smile.

"Nor do I," Fluttershy agreed. "We know you tried your hardest, but we also know you didn't cause this," she sniffled and cuddled against Casey's face. A new person appeared, casting a shadow over Casey's unconscious form. Hoping it was a paramedic already, everyone turned around with hope in their eyes, only for that hope to vanish once they found out it was someone they _really_ didn't want to deal with.

"Get. Out. Of. Here. Trixie," Sweetie Belle stood toe to toe with the magician. Spike stood as tall as he could and growled loudly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up in the air. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Rainbow Dash backed up Sweetie Belle, blocking Casey from Trixie's view. However, the narcissistic teenager rubbed her arm, shuffled her feet and looked in the air.

"Well? What do you want? Make a shit pun about how 'shocking' this all is?" Rainbow Dash glowered. Trixie reached up and slowly took off her magician's hat, clinching the bill a few times in her hands.

"Trixie just wanted to see if Casey was okay," she admitted under her breath. "She may not have liked him, but Trixie doesn't wish harm such as this; she hopes he pulls through." Trixie Lulamoon then returned her hat to her head and turned away from the main group of friends, leaving them utterly flabbergasted. Sweetie Belle couldn't believe what she had just heard and kept her eyes peeled on the self-loving girl, thinking that she was about to pull a fast one and take what she had said back.

"Did Trixie just care about someone other than herself?" Rainbow Dash questioned as her mouth was open enough to house a pair of birds.

"Ah, Ah think so," Applebloom shook her head. A pair of high heels clacking against the pavement brought their attentions up for another time. Principal Celestia stood in front of the students with a sad expression on her face.

"I couldn't get ahold of Casey's parents in England," she revealed, "I can only hope that he's not seriously injured," the faculty member pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against the side of the stage. "At least the paramedics are on their way," she added, trying to form a smile.

"All he wanted was for us to enjoy music as friends," Fluttershy kept stroking the side of his face, "there was no reason he should have to fall in _our_ battle," she fought back tears.

Meanwhile, Adagio Dazzle could simply not believe what she had witnessed. All this time, under the whining and snarky remarks regarding her leadership, Aria actually carried an amount of usefulness other than her enchanting vocals. As for what she had done to the young man, Adagio was a little more than impressed as Aria strutted her way back to where she had left Adagio and Sonata. "Hmm, didn't know you had _that_ in you, Aria," the leader crossed her arms over her chest.

"See what happens when you allow _others_ to contribute?" Aria flicked her pigtails. "This is actually working better than I thought. The entire competition's screeched to a halt; at best I assumed they would cart him off to the nurse's office and let the competition continue, but this I like," she squinted her eyes as her mouth curled into an evil smile.

"You didn't kill him did you?" Sonata asked fearfully.

"No, but he's in a coma, I made sure not to kill him. Besides, it won't matter anyways once we get back to Equestria and overthrow the damn place," Aria explained just as Trixie left The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct. Sonata felt relieved that he wouldn't die, but still felt concerned for him for obvious reasons. "Adagio, my plan already worked; what do you say we take advantage of this opportunity?" she asked, peering out at all the confused people in the audience.

* * *

"When are the damned paramedics getting here!?" Vinyl demand, standing up in front of Celestia.

"Their response time is quite alarming, but as long as Casey's breathing, that's a good sign," she tried to offer a positive light. Suddenly, the lights atop the stage dimmed, alerting everyone in the amphitheater. A slow yet hypnotic bass beat began to play over the speakers as an enchanting hum emitted over the airwaves.

"No," Twilight whispered.

"Luna! Did you authorize The Dazzlings, to, go," Celestia's voice slowed down to a drone before her eyes turned red as she walked away from the group and joined her also hypnotized sister in front of the stage. Fearfully, The Rainbooms, minus Fluttershy, and Animal Instinct peered over to see The Siren Trio humming and chanting as they took center stage; their red gems glowing brilliantly. Sonata and Aria waved their arms about while Adagio stood stationary before extending her arms forward.

"Oh, cut us a friggin' break!" Applejack cursed.

"Girls, it's now or we lose," Twilight gulped, but nobody else could move; they were torn. They knew they had a job to do and save everyone and eventually Equestria from the Sirens, but they couldn't just ditch Casey, even with his girlfriend and bandmates watching him.

"But, Casey," Fluttershy squeezed a few tears out of her eyes.

"Fluttershy, please not this, not now," Rainbow Dash practically begged her friend. "Trust me, he's gonna be fine," she assured Fluttershy.

"Yeah, I won't let anything happen to him Fluttershy, you know that," Vinyl knelt beside the timid girl. Fluttershy still cradled Casey's head in her arms as she rubbed her cheek against his.

"We'll take care of him, Fluttershy; you have a job to do," Sweetie Belle smiled .

_[Adagio Dazzle]  
Welcome to the show_  
_We're here to let you know_

"N-no, I just can't abandon my brother!" Fluttershy cried out. Applejack and Rainbow Dash sputtered and nearly ripped their hair straight from their skulls at Fluttershy's answer. "You girls should be more than enough to stop The Dazzlings," she added.

_Our time is now_  
_Your time is running out_

"Fluttershy, we need you! It takes all of us for this to work, or else they win and can get back to Equestria!" Twilight frantically waved her arms around. "I understand you want to help your brother, but he'd know that what you have to do is more important," she tried to explain.

_[The Dazzlings]  
Feel the wave of sound_  
_As it crashes down_

The student body was now completely hypnotized by The Dazzlings' singing with very little possibilities of turning them back. Even The Crusaders were beginning to feel the effects. "T-Twilight," Applebloom grabbed her head like she was attempting to suppress the most agonizing migraine in her life. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity looked on in horror as their sister's eyes slowly faded to red. The trio then tried to walk away like zombies in the direction of the front of the stage.

"My sister!" Rarity screamed and tried to pull Sweetie Belle back, but in her hypnotized state, the 16 year old was pretty damn strong. "Fluttershy, we're out of time; we need you now!" She shouted. Rainbow Dash and Applejack tried the same thing, but were just shoved aside by their little sisters. The three elder sisters then barricaded themselves against Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom and pushed them back to where everyone else was crouched, corralling them against a wall.

_You can't turn away_  
_We'll make you wanna stay_

There was a bright flash of red and white light coupled with a fairly quiet explosion as the sirens grew wings, ears atop their heads and tails. They floated above the stage floor, continuing to sing and sucking up every ounce of magic and angst that they could. Unbeknownst to them or even The Rainbooms and Vinyl, the bright flash of light and explosion of their transformation had brought Casey out of his unconscious state. The Brit carefully opened his pale green eyes and darted them around to see where he was with a groan. "Casey! You're awake!" Fluttershy jubilantly exclaimed.

"What the hell happened?" He rubbed his head. "I feel, tingly, and not in the good way," he propped his body up on his hands. "And why're you holding your sisters prisoner?" He questioned Rainbow, AJ and Rarity. He silenced by a quick kiss from Vinyl, but that didn't stop his train of thought.

"You were electrocuted and now The Dazzlings are taking over the school," Rarity replied, "just the abridged version," she explained to the look of shock on Casey's face. "Oh, and our sisters are hypnotized by them as well," she added. The Brit stood up and held his head as stars kept invading his eyesight before turning around to get a good look at the Dazzlings on stage.

"Well shit," he remarked and looked over at his bandmates whose eyes were red as cherries and their mouths were agape. "Girls, snap out of it," he snapped his fingers in front of their eyes. When that failed, Casey reached into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone and clicked play on the music player that began to play Twisted Sister.

_Turn it down you say_  
_Well, all I got to say to you is time and time again I say_  
_"No, no, no, no, no, no, no"_

The Crusaders' eyes faded back to their original colors and they nearly passed out; luckily they had a wall and their sisters to catch them. They all felt like Casey did after he awakened: groggy, tired and in a bit of pain mentally. "Rock 'N Roll, works every time," he smirked and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Are you girls alright?" He asked. Once the girls' vision cleared, they screamed happily and hugged Casey tightly.

_We will be adored_  
_Just jealous that you want us_

"Are we alright? Are _you_ alright? You were electrocuted!" Sweetie Belle didn't let go of her friend.

"Heh, I'm just fine, Sweetie Belle," Casey released the hug. "But shouldn't you girls be countering the sirens?" He asked in a hasty tone, pointing up at stage where the Dazzlings were now floating about half a foot above the stage floor.

"You got the song, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, motioning for her to give up the sheet music. The animal lover reached behind her and pulled out a few pages of the song, handing them to Rainbow who then passed them around. The Rainbooms' faces had the look of confusion carved into them as they scanned the song that Fluttershy had written. What had been expected to be either a soft ballad or a happy-go-lucky pop song was, well not.

"What is this?" Rarity questioned, flipping through a few pages.

"It looks like Rock 'N Roll," Pinkie Pie had her sheet turned upside down, "since when does Fluttershy write Rock 'N Roll songs?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the girl in question. "If that _is_ your real name?" She jabbed Fluttershy in the gut with her finger. She blushed and moved some hair out of her face before explaining.

"I may have had a few pointers from Casey," she admitted as the Brit took his own piece of the music and looked it over. A proud smile soon etched onto his face, and his hand clenched into that of a victory fist that he pumped high into the air.

_We won't be ignored_  
_It's time for our reward_

"Is this really what you wanted us to perform Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, looking over the lyrics that she was to sing.

"I figured if a friend helped me write it and we all performed it together, then it should hold enough friendship to counteract the sirens," she explained. Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack took a look from Fluttershy, the sheet music and Casey before looking at each other.

"Can't disagree with that," Rarity scratched the back of her head.

"Sounds good 'nough fer me!" Applejack strapped her bass onto her back. Everyone else in the band followed suit, except for one. Fluttershy stayed back with Animal Instinct, holding her tambourine in her hands. "Ya comin' Fluttershy? We still need ya!" Applejack asked.

"I want Casey's band to perform with us," Fluttershy responded, "the more friends we have, the better our chances should be!" She quickly delineated before Rainbow or Applejack could ask. Casey looked as if Phil Collen had personally asked him to perform a guitar duel on stage.

"We've practiced the song just in case we won," he said, "though it was not written for these circumstances, I'll admit," he added. Without missing a beat, Vinyl acquired her keyboard, Sweetie Belle tightened the strap on her bass, Applebloom swung her guitar to her front, and Scootaloo twirled both drumsticks in her right hand. Casey chuckled and gingerly picked up his guitar that Sweetie Belle had brought over after his electric show. Thankfully, it still worked, though the Brit was a little unsure about his instrument.

"Okay, fine, you guys come too," Twilight rushed everybody backstage, "it's now or never, so let's go!" She ordered. With not a second to lose, The Rainbooms led Animal Instinct back stage, behind the stereo equipment and stopped directly at the back of The Dazzlings who did not see the two bands as they continued their hypnotic canticle. Twilight motioned with her index finger to have Casey come over before they started the song.

"What's going on Twilight?" He asked.

"Since you and Fluttershy wrote the song, I think you should sing it while I backup sing with everyone else; it might give the song an extra boost that could come in handy," she explained. "Fluttershy can play her tambourine next to you," she added, setting up her microphone.

"Alright, makes sense," Casey said, putting his headset microphone on his head. He was perfectly content with Twilight singing his and Fluttershy's song, but if the bloody Princess of Friendship wanted him to sing, then by God he'd sing like Steven Tyler. He looked around to see Pinkie and Scootaloo sitting next to each other behind their respective drum kits, Sweetie Belle and Applejack standing side by side, Applebloom and Rainbow Dash practically touching elbows, Vinyl and Rarity at the ready, Fluttershy to his left and Twilight to his right. However, he saw Sunset Shimmer putting on a fake smile off stage, waving to the bands.

"Where are you going?" Rarity asked, "we need to start now!" She scolded the Brit that ignored her. Casey jogged his way over to the out of place girl and stopped, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing over here, Sunset?" He questioned.

"I-It's not my place to help them, Casey," Sunset sadly stammered, "and you guys can do this without me; I'd probably just get in the way," she said, looking down at her feet.

_Now you need us_

_"_Believe me when I say this, Sunset. We do need you; not because more friends will help, but because Rock 'N Roll is about family. Pop stars and rappers are only in it for themselves, but Rock stars always have their bands to back them up, no matter what they've done in the past. It's about being there for your mates, whether it's taking their head out of the toilet after binge drinking or saving the fucking world. I thought you were the _sanest_ member of this group aside from Fluttershy because you didn't make wild accusations or an arse out of yourself. Join our family, please," Casey begged.

Sunset bit her lower lip and shuffled her feet, still feeling uncomfortable doing this when she felt her friends had the whole situation handled.

_Come and heed us_

Finally, Sunset breathed deeply and looked back up at Casey in his eyes before nodded seriously. He grinned, patted her back and led her up to the stage where the Dazzlings were concluding their song. Sunset stood next to Twilight who smiled and held her microphone in between herself and her newest friend, waiting for Casey to signal the start.

_Nothing can stop us now_

The Dazzlings froze when the loud thumping of a duel drum kit cut off their high note. "What?" Aria looked absolutely furious at Casey as he stood at the front of the jointed bands with his guitar hanging proudly in his hands. _'What a failure, Aria,'_ Adagio thought.

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
Shout_

A silvery light shone dimly upon Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo as they continued their rhythmic drumming. Casey, Applejack, The Crusaders, Vinyl and Rainbow Dash cast vicious glares to the siren trio at the front of the stage, making Sonata and Aria feel just slightly uneasy, though leaving Adagio unfazed.

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
Shout_

Suddenly, every guitar, bass and keyboard erupted alongside the drums, as if the instruments were challenging the vocalizations of The Sirens. Casey, Fluttershy, Twilight and Sunset then walked forward as Casey opened his mouth, still playing his guitar which Applebloom and Rainbow copied. The Dazzlings had to cover their ears at first due to the sheer volume of the song until their ears were used to it.

_[Casey]  
Look in these eyes_  
_These eyes don't lie_  
_And they say that if you don't blink,_  
_then you don't die._

_[Casey]  
Now feel this heart_  
_it beats so tough_  
_And if you ever gonna doubt my faith_  
_then I'll call your bluff_  
_cause you ain't that tough_

Every student and faculty member under the spell of the sirens suddenly blinked and shook their heads free of the spell and started cheering on the two bands. The Dazzlings floated in horror as their plan began to crumble. However, that's not all that happened once the song started.

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
The lies in your eyes can't defeat me_

Every member of The Rainbooms were suddenly engulfed with bright lights, almost like multi-colored fires as they sang the backup vocals to the song. While The Crusaders and Vinyl had seen The Rainbooms transform like this before, it was still a surreal experience, as for Casey, he felt as if he was on an LSD trip, but he forged on, pushing the weirdness to the back of his mind.

_[Casey]  
I ain't ever goin' down_

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
__I was down on my knees completely_

When the six teenagers emerged from their 'fires,' Casey was astonished to see that they all had pony ears atop their heads, literal tails that extended from their real hair all the way down to their feet, and Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy had _wings_ on their backs. And for some strange reason, even the ones without wings, were floating above the stage, with the exception of Pinkie Pie whom continued to drum alongside Scootaloo until they eventually settled back down.

_[Casey]  
And you will never take my crown_

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
But I rise from my feet you can't beat me_

Casey could not help but smirk at the irony of the last lyrics versus what was happening right now.

_[Casey]  
Oh, and that's why I gotta stay_  
_And that's why I gotta say_

_[Rainbooms, Animal Instinct and Casey]  
I'm Undefeated_

Instead of Casey resuming the lead vocals, he traded off and allowed Twilight to sing. And while he thought she was an excellent singer, he felt as if her voice wasn't epic enough for the song, but he knew it didn't really make a difference as long as the song worked. Which it looked as if it was working to him. The one thing that he also noticed was that Sunset was just barely moving along to the beat of the song, not singing at all like everyone had requested of her.

_[Twilight]  
And Standing Tall_  
_I don't want to be the loser_  
_when the winner takes it all._  
_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
I'm Undefeated_

_[Twilight]  
I got the scars _  
_I will wipe this blood away,_  
_live to fight another day_  
_Undefeated!_

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
Shout!_

_[Twilight]  
I'm Undefeated!_

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
Shout!_

Adagio was now the full definition of the word pissed. Clenching her red gem in her hand, she said through teeth clenched like a vice, "Oh, so you want a _real _battle? Then we'll give you a fucking war, _bitch!"_ She exclaimed loudly over the jointed song. The three sirens then sang in perfect synchronization, preparing for their last assault against those that dared to block their path.

_[The Dazzlings]  
What we have in store,  
all we want and more.  
We will break on through;  
NOW IT'S TIME TO FINISH YOU!_

The student body and faculty members' eyes shrank back down as they reassumed their attention back on the sirens. Once the Dazzlings sang their final verse, their eyes turned blood red, their gems flashed and the light encompassed their bodies simultaneously before being sucked back into the gems. A sudden burst of a red beam shot upwards towards the sky from the gems in red balls of fire, revealing a hodgepodge of three creatures that had hooves, mermaid tails, hooves on their front legs and dragon heads that floated above the Dazzlings.

Both bands completely ceased playing their instruments and singing as they looked up, horrified at the evil creatures that glared menacingly at them, licking their chops. "Shit," was all Casey could say as the three sirens began to encircle the two bands. Everyone, even Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Applejack all were shaking in fear at what was happening. Adagio's creature tried snapping its jaws at both Casey and Twilight every time it got near the duo.

Out of pure brotherly instinct, and although he was frightened, Casey moved in front of Fluttershy so she wouldn't get hurt. He looked over to see Vinyl trying to look unafraid behind her electric purple shades, but he knew she too was a little scared at what was going on. "Keep going!" Twilight declared to everyone. "We've gotten this far; there's no use giving up now!" She added raising the microphone back to her mouth. Taking a big gulp all at once, both drummers, both keyboardists, both bassists, all three guitarists and Fluttershy raised their instruments, continuing to play while the sirens kept circling the group, awaiting the perfect chance to strike.

_[Twilight]  
I feel your pain_  
_I hear your words._  
_But there ain't nothing you can say to me_  
_I ain't already heard_

_[Twilight]  
These cuts run deep_  
_Close to the Bone_  
_But I gotta keep getting up_  
_cause I've been down so long_  
_So let's get it on_

Every time each of the Dazzlings tried to strike at one member on stage, one of the Rainbooms blocked their paths. Rarity played a unique riff on her keytar when Aria attempted to attack her, causing about a million diamonds to smack her in the face.

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
The lies in your eyes can't defeat me_

_[Twilight]  
I ain't ever goin' down_

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
I was down on my knees completely_

_[Twilight]  
And you will never take my crown_

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
But I rise from my feet you can't beat me_

_[Twilight]  
Oh, and that's why I gotta stay_  
_And that's why I gotta say_

Sonata's creature then seemed to target Fluttershy. The light blue siren dive-bombed the tambourinist, growling with her fangs dripping with saliva. Casey continued to shred along the guitar section of the song, but was unsure if he should help his friend from being eaten or whatever the monster wanted to accomplish. However, his fears were squashed when Fluttershy did a complete 360 whilst shaking her tambourine like she was freezing cold and flung her instrument like Captain America with his shield, but she didn't release it from her hand. Instead, _butterflies_ shot from the tambourine and bitch-smacked Sonata's monster in the face, knocking it back.

_[Everyone]  
I'm Undefeated_

_[Twilight]  
And Standing Tall_  
_I don't want to be the loser_  
_when the winner takes it all._

_[Rainbooms and Animal Instinct]  
I'm Undefeated_

_[Twilight]  
I got the scar _  
_I will wash this blood away,_  
_live to die another day_

_[Everyone]  
I walk through the fire_  
_with the flames on my skin_  
_I wanna be the last man standing_  
_I'll never surrender, I'll never give in_  
_I just got to win_

Fluttershy, Applejack and Sweetie Belle halted playing their instruments while Twilight's singing also came to a stop as Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo continued drumming and Applebloom, Casey and Rainbow Dash played a triple guitar solo for the song. Their hands and fingers moved flawlessly over the strings of their guitars, almost robotic in movement as Sonata and Aria's creatures recoiled in pain from the noises produced by the instruments. However, when the trio raised their hands up once the solo was complete, they looked up to see Aria's creature coming in at full speed while screaming the siren chant.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Strong pulses of magic surged through the group, making a few lose their balance. This caused everyone to stop playing and singing, allowing Sonata and Aria to assist Adagio in her assault. Their combined chanting intensified, making the stage shake from the vibrations until a sound wave ripped through the stage floor like an earthquake, knocking every member back about five feet onto their backs, all except two. Amidst a sea of drum kits, drum sticks, basses, keyboards, guitars, a tambourine and a microphone, Sunset Shimmer stood alone as the sirens grinned triumphantly at silencing the music that was destroying them.

"No," she said fearfully as the lone microphone rolled over to her boot. Her eyes scanned what now looked like a war zone had the instruments of the two bands had a battle, looking for any sign of her friends getting up.

"Ohhhhh," Casey groaned as he was crouched in a three point stance. His hands grasped the floor tightly as his guitar had flipped over to his back from the attack. "Fluttershy, Vinyl, Girls?" He asked as everyone moved around slowly from shock. The Brit finally stood up, cracking his back after going through a lot of abuse today from being electrocuted to being thrown back by sound waves. Casey's eyes narrowed, staring intently at the three monsters that stood in victory in the air above the stage, not wanting to back down just yet. "Are you alright?" He asked Sunset once he realized she hadn't been tossed to the ground.

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed from behind one of the amps.

"I-I'm fine, but we need to get them up and playing again," the once evil unicorn tried to get Twilight up off the ground. The anthropomorphized lavender girl shook her head clear of the stars in her vision, but was still a bit dazed.

"Hahaha!" Adagio chortled as Casey tried to help everyone else up, "look at your precious Rock 'N Roll now, Knight. Just give up and accept the fact that it's outdated and will _never_ come back."

"And as for you," Aria cut off Adagio, speaking to Sunset, "you thought you could be good; maybe even make friends who could forgive your actions, but there's no forgiveness for what you did. You'll always be a friendless loser whose soul purpose is to be hated by everyone, kind of like a rat." Sunset's chest tightened from this and a few tears threatened to burst from her eyes. Adagio's taunting upset Casey, but Aria's nearly made him go ballistic.

"Hey, fuck you!" He yelled before turning to the emotionally turmoiled girl next to him, "Sunset, it's up to us until everyone's ready to play again," he consoled the poor girl. She looked up with wet eyes, still clenching the microphone in her hand. Her fiery hair bobbed as she shook her head back and forth.

"But, I can't," she tried to argue.

"You _can, _okay?" He responded, taking her hand in his. "Nothing will happen if I just sing and play. The school and Equestria needs both of us right now; you sing and I'll play," he repeated, raising the microphone up to her mouth.

"...I don't think," Sunset's voice cracked as she dropped her arm back to her side.

"Sunset, trust me," Casey raised her head up by putting his finger under her chin and gently lifting up, "you _can_ and you _will_. I know all you want to do is atone for what you did and make amends with everyone. You have the potential to be a great friend, all you need is to take that plunge," he raised the microphone to her mouth again. The Dazzlings all laughed at the 'hilarious' display before them. Sunset took a deep breath and resumed the song while Casey whipped his guitar back around and continued the guitar riff.

"We must admire your tenacity, but it'll be all for naught," Adagio grinned.

Casey stood elbow to elbow with Sunset, offering her encouragement as they resumed their barrage of Rock 'N Roll. However, as they played, Casey noticed a small flicker of light, almost like a spark, emitting from around Sunset.

_[Casey]  
The lies in your eyes can't defeat me_

_[Sunset]  
I ain't ever goin' down_

_[Casey]  
I was down on my knees completely_

_[Sunset]  
And you will never take my crown_

_[Casey]  
But I rise from my feet you can't beat me_

_[Sunset]  
Oh, and that's why I gotta stay_  
_And that's why I gotta say_

The others that were still recuperating from the sirens' musical assault looked on in awe as they stood up and witnessed a ball of fire and light consume Sunset Shimmer's body while here final lyrics echoed around the stadium. They all gathered up their instruments and trudged forward, still in shock at what they were singing while Casey continued his guitar riff to keep the song going, not to say he wasn't shocked as well.

"Sunset?" Casey asked once the light around Sunset exploded, revealing an anthro pony version of herself floating back down to the stage floor with the microphone still in her hand. She turned around and gave everyone (mostly Casey and Twilight) a sly wink, signaling for them to join her. "GO GIRL!" Casey exclaimed whilst wrapping his arm around Fluttershy.

_[Everyone]  
I'm Undefeated_

_[Sunset]  
And Standing Tall_

_[Twilight]  
I don't want to be the loser_  
_when the winner takes it all._

_[Everyone]  
I'm Undefeated_

_[Sunset]  
I got the scars _  
_I will wipe this blood away,_  
_live to fight another day_  
_I'm Undefeated!_

Right before the final verse hit, a powerful surge of magic shot from the now seven members of the Rainbooms, dispersing all over the amphitheater and breaking the students and staff members free of the sirens' spell. Another beam of magic emitted from the seven, but instead of spreading horizontally over the area, the beam shot upwards to the sky into a patch of clouds. The Dazzlings began to pale in fear as a giant crystal-like unicorn with wings emerged from the clouds, staring them down, all the while the students and staff began to move along to the rhythm of the song.

_[Sunset]  
It's stand or fall!_  
_You can wrap that rope around me with my back against the wall_

_[Everyone]  
I'm Undefeated_

"What the hell?" Vinyl exclaimed when a blast of light exploded from her and bounced from Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all the way to Casey, connecting the five.

"This doesn't feel right!" Sweetie Belle commented, still strumming her fingers along her bass. Suddenly, the five members of Animal Instinct lifted off the ground just like The Rainbooms did. Confused, Twilight couldn't help but stare while more magic coursed through Animal Instinct, engulfing them in bright light as their own beam of magic shot to the sky, joining the alicorn.

"Holy crap," Casey said once his feet touched the ground. He too had pony ears on top of his head with his mullet now extending down to his ankles, but that wasn't all that happened to him. Casey's outfit shifted around, making him dressed like the one and only: Eddie Van Halen, at least that's what he saw before the light dissipated. The guitarist looked around to see the rest of his band mates all one third ponified, (Scootaloo had wings to go along with her ears and 'tail' while Sweetie Belle, Vinyl and Applebloom all just had pony ears and a pony 'tail') one third their regular selves, and one third Rocker.

Vinyl was wearing the same outfit that Ann Wilson wore, Sweetie Belle was now dressed precisely like Paul McCartney complete with hairdo back during the 60s, Scootaloo's hair was now like Rick Allen's from the 80s and she was now drumming with her left foot more than her left arm. And finally, Applebloom's clothes perfectly matched those that Jimmy Page used to wear.

There was a sudden roar that overpowered the song, startling everyone as Animal Instinct settled back on stage. A giant cheetah materialized right next to the musical alicorn in the sky, showing off it's shiny fangs to the sirens below. The three girls were now trembling in fear as the musical alicorn's horn lit up and shot at them with its magic while the cheetah roared yet again, spitting out flaming musical notes from its mouth. Getting back to the matter at hand, everyone remembered that they had one final verse to sing.

_[Sunset]  
I got the prize_  
_If you got the will to win_  
_you got to take it in the chin_  
_Stay Undefeated!_  
_[Everyone]  
Shout!_  
_Yea Undefeated!_  
_[Everyone]  
Shout!_

There was a large and rather loud explosion heard once Rainbow Dash, Applebloom and Casey concluded their guitar portions of the song. The Dazzlings found themselves groaning on the stage floor in front of the dozen band members that occupied the stage. Growling and grunting, the trio still had some fight left in them and opened their mouths to fight back.

_[The Dazzlings]  
We wIlL bE adOarED_

The sirens' magic was no more. "Good God, a cat being run over by a lawnmower while Freddy Krueger scratched on a chalkboard sounds better than you fuck-ups!" Everyone turned in shock to see it was Rarity who had said that and not Casey. "Ahem, do not repeat that Sweetie Belle, EVER," she wagged her finger at her little sister.

"BOOOO!" The students hissed and jeered at the Dazzlings. The trio began to be pelted not with fruit and vegetables, but shoes, phones, bricks and textbooks. They then retreated back stage and ran away from the school grounds, running faster with every step as their plan and any future plans were terminated. "Well, I guess this explains why they sang so good," Sunset held up a piece of shattered amulet.

"Studio magic, what'd I tell ya?" Casey joked while holding his arm around Vinyl's waist.

"Though I have to say, I didn't see _this_ coming," Twilight giggled at Animal Instinct's new wardrobe. "But it helped us defeat the Sirens; we can't thank you guys enough," she added gratefully.

"No problem Princess Twilight," Scootaloo replied, " and I'm liking these new threads, but my left arm feels really numb now," she wiggled the left appendage around, trying to get blood flowing through its veins.

"Rainbooms rule!" A voice called out. Twilight turned around to be bombarded with a bear hug from Flash Sentry. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight looked genially enthused to see Flash again while Animal Instinct, Sunset, Rainbow, Spike and Applejack grimaced at seeing the teenager.

"Animal Instinct helped too ya know," Applebloom rolled her eyes.

"Oh great, Brad's back," Casey muttered. He turned his head when he felt Fluttershy tapping on his shoulder.

"Flash Sentry, Casey," she corrected with her normal, soft smile.

"Whatever," he responded in a stoical tone. Twilight and Flash blushed as they hugged each other, only to have Trixie pop up between them out of nowhere. Everyone jumped at the exact same time at the surprise. "Okay, how can she do that, but can't make an exit like that?" Casey asked Vinyl who only shrugged in response.

"Trixie may have been kind to you just this once, and she is glad you are okay Casey," she tapped the end of the Brit's nose with her finger, "but don't get cozied up to that idea! Trixie shall be forever known as the greatest show stopping entertainer Canterlot High School has _ever_ seen!" She threw down a smoke pellet again, causing a rousing chorus of coughing to follow suit.

**_CRASH!_**

"She's gone!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Oh wait, she fell into the mosh pit, again," she said, unimpressed.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie, might need some medical attention," she groaned from below. Luckily, the paramedics then arrived and carted her away without question.

"Well then, back to business," Rainbow cricked her neck. "With Twilight taking off for Equestria again soon, The Rainbooms could use another backup vocalist," she raised her eyebrows to Sunset. The orange girl smirked, picked up a mint green V-neck guitar and proceeded to play a guitar solo that mirrored Casey's from the Eliminator Round. Everyone looked in shock as she flawlessly executed the solo, complete with a kick or two and finishing off with a pump of her fist.

"I, also play guitar," she said sheepishly, though not as much as Fluttershy. At first, all eyes turned to Rainbow as she paled a bit at Sunset's skills on the six stringed beast, even showing a look of worry, but what really got all the attention was one of Casey's guitar strings snapped after the solo was completed.

"Looks like I need to step things up a bit," Casey said after slowly removing his guitar.

"I'll have to think about it, Sunset," Rainbow said teasingly as all the girls from The Rainbooms group hugged Sunset Shimmer. With a smile, Casey was then bombarded with a hug of his own from Vinyl and his bandmates.

"Thank you, for everything Casey," Scootaloo nuzzled the Brit. Casey took one look at all four girls squeezing him before wrapping as much of his arms as he could around them, returning the hug.

"Yer one heckuva guitar player," Applebloom added, "'n one heckuva friend," she concluded with a nuzzle of her own.

"And maybe, a brother," Sweetie Belle said, well, sweetly. Casey's smile grew bigger as he cuddled his cheek on top of Sweetie Belle's hair. He then froze as The Crusaders released the hug, but then planted their lips on his cheeks, kissing him simultaneously.

"Girls!" He exclaimed, embarrassed as he turned bright red and The Crusaders giggled, dispersing to make room for Vinyl. No words were exchanged between the two as Vinyl took off her sunglasses and headphones before grabbing Casey's face and kissing him deeply.

* * *

**(The Next Day. Outside the School)**

Everyone involved with the saving of the school was gathered around the statue in the courtyard of the High School; Twilight and Spike's mission was complete and the duo was set to go back to Equestria. The pony effect had worn off, leaving everyone looking human again, not to say Casey didn't miss his Van Halen threads that turned back into his regular clothes a few hours after the concert. Trixie was released from the emergency room with a twisted ankle, swearing vengeance for being tricked into falling down the mosh pit.

"Are ya sure ya can't stay just a lil bit longer?" Applejack asked. The lavender girl shook her head with a smile.

"Believe me, I wish I could, but Spike and I have big responsibilities in Equestria," she replied. Casey yanked back on Pinkie Pie's arm when she poked her head through the statue that gave off a ripple effect. The drummer looked dazed and confused when she was pulled back.

"I wish you didn't have to go," Sweetie Belle said sadly.

"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle," Twilight ruffled her hair, "things are a bit different than my last visit here. I can go through the portal whenever I need or want to instead of waiting thirty moons," she explained to a chorus of relieved smiles from the Crusaders.

"This has been, a mind _screwing_," Vinyl, Fluttershy and Rarity nodded proudly that Casey decided to cut back on his foul language, "experience, but I am glad to have met you, Princess," he took ahold of Twilight's hand and bowed politely. "But, could you do me a favor, please?" he asked.

"What do you need, Casey?" Twilight was happy to listen.

"When you get back, and if you ever find the '_Pony'_ me," he air quoted, "could you tell him I said 'Hi?'" He requested. The princess grinned, placing a hand on the Brit's shoulder.

"I don't think that should be too hard," she assured him.

"And if he's not with Pony Vinyl, hit him upside the head to bring him to his senses?" He added cheekily. Twilight snickered, shaking her head and picking up Spike in her arms and heading for the portal.

"Just remember, this isn't a goodbye everybody, this is just a 'See you later.'" And with that, Twilight and Spike began to go through the portal, but not before Casey had one last thing to say.

"Hey," he called out to which Spike and Twilight stopped halfway through, "Rock on, Twilight Sparkle," the rocker held up his right hand with his index and pinkie finger extended. The two native Equestrians then passed through the portal, once again leaving our world and Canterlot High School until next time. All the people in attendance waved at the statue a few minutes after they left.

* * *

**(Back at the Amphitheater)**

Vice Principal Luna and Principal Celestia had decided to reschedule the finale round after what had happened. However, through an agreement by every member of both bands, The Rainbooms and Animal Instinct joined forces to take on Trixie and her goons without either band having to lose. Luckily, the principals agreed to the odd decision and the bands (now temporarily called _Rainstinct_) were practicing together on a song written by both bands. "Did you hear that Vivian Campbell beat his cancer?" Casey asked Applebloom and Fluttershy whilst they were getting ready to practice.

Most everyone was tuning up their instruments and having different conversations with different friends, but Sunset was writing away in the diary that Princess Celestia had given her many years ago, messaging Twilight that everything was going great and she still had a lot to learn about friendship. Rainbow Dash checked the clock on her SamPhone 4 before shouting to the new guitarist of the band, "Hey, you ready yet, Sunset?" She asked.

"Ooh, you rhymed again, Rainbow!" Pinkie Pie cheered. Ignoring that, Sunset stuffed the diary and pen in her backpack before grabbing her guitar and jogging up the stage.

"I'm ready girls, and Casey," she strummed her guitar a few times.

"Positions girls, positions," Casey reminded Applebloom and Sweetie Belle right before giving a big hug to Fluttershy. Being the lead singers, Casey and Rainbow Dash had to share the main microphone which they didn't actually mind all that much. Rainbow took point on stage right where The Rainbooms were and Casey took point on stage left where Animal Instinct stood. Just as Pinkie and Scootaloo were about to count down with their drumsticks, Rainbow had something important to tell her fellow guitarist.

"Hey, Casey, you got a second?" She asked, holding her hand over the microphone.

"What's up, R.D.?" Casey replied.

"I still hate you, just lettin' ya know," she winked with her tongue sticking out. Casey chuckled, giving one his knobs a last tune before responding.

"Ya know Rainbow, I hate you too," he nudged her shoulder. Yes, the duo still hated each other as they had throughout the few months they'd known each other, but the experience between them with the sirens had brought a newfound respect to the table that they each held for one another. They hated each other, yes, but they could now tolerate one another in the same room.

"1, 2, 3, 4!" Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie counted off before Vinyl, Rarity, Rainbow and Casey began to play their keyboards and guitars.

**The End**

* * *

_[Rainbow]  
World turns black and white_  
_Pictures in an empty room_  
_Your love starts fallin' down_  
_Better change your tune_

***Extra Scene***

We find Animal Instinct in Casey's garage once again, hanging out after a hard round of afternoon practice. It was also the same day that Casey's parents would be returning from England. With a Pepsi bottle in his hand, Casey played with Vinyl's electric blue mane while The Crusaders talked about how Rumble and Featherweight had finally asked out Scootaloo and Applebloom. "Casey, we're home son!" Michael Knight, Casey's father announced after a taxi cab pulled into the driveway.

"Mum, dad, glad to have you back!" the teenager stood up from sitting on his milk crate to hug his parents. "These are my band mates, though you've met them from when I've tutored them," he introduced Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

"Good to see you girls again," Amanda Knight smiled. "Vinyl, you're treating my son right, correct?" she asked.

"Of course, Amanda," Vinyl replied and received a hug from Casey's mom.

"Casey, we've got a little present for you," Michael added gesturing to a teenage boy one year younger than Casey himself. The Brit took one look at him and cheered, picking him up and hugging him.

"Pip! So good to see you, mate. What're you doing in America?" He asked.

"Mom and dad thought it'd be good to spend more time with you by enrolling me in the same school, so here I am," he explained. Casey then pushed him in the back to go and meet his girlfriend and bandmates.

"I'm sure you know about Vinyl already," Casey introduced his girlfriend.

"You're much prettier than my cousin told me," Pip took Vinyl's hand and softly kissed it.

"I guess charming runs in this family's blood," Vinyl complimented. Pip then turned and met Scootaloo and Applebloom, excited to be the same age as the two and that he would be taking the same classes as them next semester.

"Sweetie Belle, come and meet my little cousin, Pip!" Casey suggested. "Pip, this here is almost like my little sister, Sweetie Belle. She's our bassist and a really sweet girl like her name," he explained. "Pip? Pip? Are you listening to me?" Casey asked when Pip didn't say anything in response. Vinyl, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Casey studied Sweetie Belle and Pip, discovering that the two had locked eyes and were slowly approaching one another.

"My name's Sweetie Belle," the bassist said softly, blushing like mad and playing with her hair.

"Sir Pipsqueak of London, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Ms. Belle," be bowed before her. The duo then took hands and sat down next to each other as if no one else existed.

"Since when were you a matchmaker, Casey?" Scootaloo asked.

***End Scene***

_[Casey]  
Yeah, you reach for the golden ring_  
_Reach for the sky_  
_Baby, just spread your wings_

_[Rainbow]  
We'll get higher and higher_  
_Straight up, we'll climb_  
_We'll get higher and higher_  
_Leave it all behind_

***Extra Scene***

A few hours had passed since Twilight and Spike had returned to Canterlot, and a trip to Sugar Cube Corner felt like such a refreshing idea after what they went through. "Hey Twi, there's Vinyl," Spike pointed out to the alicorn. The Princess of Friendship looked up from her vanilla and daffodil milkshake to see the local DJ unicorn, Vinyl Scratch, bobbing her head to her headphones whilst ordering.

"Spike, I know what I promised Casey, but he might be in Trottingham for all I know, based on the accent I heard back at Canterlot High," Twilight explained, "it might be months or even years before we meet him," she added.

"Okay, then who's that standing next to Vinyl?" Spike asked with a smirk. Twilight did a double take when she saw a grey unicorn with a jet black mullet mane and tail with a flaming guitar for a cutie mark. He nuzzled Vinyl as they moved along to the beat of the music Vinyl's headphones were playing.

"A coincidence? We don't know for sure if that's really Casey," Twilight tried to approach the situation logically.

"Mmm, Pegapsi is my bucking favorite soda!" The grey unicorn declared.

"Yep, that's Casey alright," Spike smirked. Grumbling, Twilight hopped up from her seat and approached the unicorn duo.

"Ahem, is your name Casey Knight by any chance?" She questioned. The unicorn immediately bowed, not expecting royalty to be in the humble ice cream shop.

"Yes your highness, but most ponies call me Shredinator. Is there a reason you wanted to speak with me?" He questioned.

"Well..."

***End Scene***

_[Casey]  
Run, run, run away_  
_Like a train runnin' off the track_  
_Got the truth bein' left behind_  
_Fall between the cracks_

_[Rainbow]  
Standin' on broken dreams_  
_Never losin' sight, ah_  
_Well, just spread your wings_

***Extra Scene***

A rolling stone magazine slapped against the table top of a breakfast table in a hotel suite. A cup of steaming coffee was grabbed by a male hand and lifted up so its owner could take a sip. On the cover was Animal Instinct's pose from their album with the words: THE NEXT ROCK SUPER GROUP? Stamped on the front. The man reading the magazine took a bite out of a bagel before getting up out of his chair. "Hey Joe, you see this yet?" The balding man questioned his friend who was writing down song lyrics on a notepad while watching TV.

"Yep, I sure did, Phil," the second man replied, scribbling down something else on his notepad. "I think Rock is gonna be just fine," he added, peering up over the notepad with his pale green eyes.

"I was just saying, Joe, that this kid here, Casey Knight, looks an awful lot like you did when I first met you," Phil replied, taking another look at Casey's picture.

"I noticed that too. I'll try and get in touch with his manager, maybe we can get this, Animal Instinct to open for us," Joe set down his newest song lyrics and took a sip of his coffee.

***End Scene***

_[Casey]  
We'll get higher and higher_  
_Straight up we'll climb_  
_We'll get higher and higher_  
_Leave it all behind_

_[Rainbow]  
So baby, dry your eyes, save all the tears you've cried_  
_Oh, that's what dreams are made of_  
_'Cause we belong in a world that must be strong_  
_Oh, that's what dreams are made of_

_[Casey]  
Yeah, we'll get higher and higher_  
_Straight up we'll climb_  
_Higher and higher_  
_Leave it all behind_

_[Rainbow]  
Oh, we'll get higher and higher_  
_Who knows what we'll find?_

_[Casey]_

_So baby, dry your eyes, save all the tears you've cried_  
_Oh, that's what dreams are made of_  
_Oh baby, we belong in a world that must be strong_  
_Oh, that's what dreams are made of_

***Extra Scene***

"Is this yours, miss?" A male voice asked Applejack as her hat flew off her head when Trixie slammed the doors to the girl's room on the bumpkin. Applejack saw her stetson resting comfortably in the hands of a peach colored boy that was about 6'2" tall and had eyes as blue as the Pacific Ocean. He also wore an Air Force shirt and a black and red NASCAR hat.

"Y-yes," Applejack said, politely putting her hat back atop her head. "Are ya new here, partner?" she asked the boy.

"Yeah, folks swapped me out from Cloudsdale High to here because my dad got relocated to the Air Force Base," he explained. "So I'm just trying go my own way and make friends when the opportunities best present themselves," he added, walking down the hallway with AJ as she looked for an empty bathroom.

"Well, thanks fer savin' my hat. Name's Applejack by the way, though some friends call me AJ," she replied.

"Nice to meet you Applejack, I'm Ivan," Ivan shook her hand. The two never realized their hands didn't let go of each other until AJ reached the bathroom.

***End Scene***

_[Rainbow and Casey]  
And in the end on dreams we will depend_  
_'Cause that's what love is made of_

***Final Scene***

A richter scale-like device was waving like crazy back and forth across a large sheet of paper in a laboratory. The purple hands of a scientist ripped the paper from the machine before thumbtacking it to a bulletin board. The glasses wearing individual studied what she had attached to the board in the past few months, tapping her chin as her mind raced with theories and thoughts. A few pictures of The Rainbooms were circled with a red sharpie while others had arrows pointing to them. The girl adjusted her glasses before turning around, revealing on a badge that her name was Twilight Sparkle.

"There's no doubt about it Spike," she said to her purple dog, "something weird is _definitely_ going on at that school."

**The Real End**

* * *

_The song sung to defeat The Dazzlings is "Undefeated" by Def Leppard released in 2011 with their Mirrorball Live &amp; More album. I suggest listening to it via YouTube after reading this chapter. This song, to me anyways, proves this band still has what it takes to Rock on!_

_At this time, I wish to thank everyone who stuck by me even through the two months I did not update. I feel awful about it and I wish it hadn't happened, but Fallen Eagle to precedence over it during that time, yet I never forgot about any of you. Again, thank you to everyone who sent in song ideas, I incorporated the ones that I didn't use in Animal Instinct's debut album. _

_I do not own any songs that you saw in this dozen chapter story. I own nothing except the Band name, Ivan and Casey Knight. _


End file.
